Hen now has babies and will not set on other egg

[Movnhorses]

Hi everyone,
I just have a quick question. My hen's (2) eggs hatched on Wednesday and she stayed on the nest. When I got home on Thursday, she was off the other egg running around with the babies and the egg was coldish. How long should I wait until I bury the 3rd egg? or how do I tell if it is still alive? I really don't want to open the egg and find out but then again I don't want to bury it alive. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[sumi]

You can candle the egg to see if it's viable. Find a dark space/room (if I need to candle during the day I climb into the cupboard) and use a nice powerful flashlight. Hold the fat end of the egg against the light and fold your fingers around the egg to stop the light shining past, to help you see properly. If the egg is dark except the clear bit in the fat end where the air cell is, it's developed and there is a chick in there. If it's clear you can go bury it. If it is viable you can try and finish the hatch by keeping it at a temperature of 99*-101*F and humidity of around 65-75%. Another member here recently finished a hatch like this in her oven, to give you an idea. At this late stage it is likely that the egg is not viable, but I for one have been caught out by very late hatches under broody hens, so give it a try and fingers crossed.

And

 

[Movnhorses]

I just checked the chicken with the flashlight and it was dark with the air sac in the big side of the egg being clear. I decided to peel some of the egg shell off and found that the chick did have its beak through to the air sac but had died. So I buried it. :-(

 

[sumi]

I'm so sorry.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I take the chicks out from under the hen as they hatch and put in brooder, because she will sit on her eggs if she doesn't have a chick. If she has a chick she thinks she has to feed it and leaves her nest. after all the chicks have hatched and the chicks are walking I tuck them back under her at night after moving her to a separate pen.