Hen stepped on egg

[acooper7989]

My BR has been broody and laying on a clutch of eggs for a little while.
I went into the coop this morning to inspect after she had gone to get some water and food.
I noticed one egg had a very small hole and when I looked closer there was a tiny beak in there peeping!
She hopped back up in the box and stepped on the egg!
There's a little bit of blood, is that normal?
Now the chick is half uncovered but still laying in the fetal position in the remainder of the egg.
It wiggles sometimes and peeps a little bit.
I've left it with the hen but she seems just as confused as I am about the situation.
Is there anything I can do?
Should I just sit around and wait?
Should I check in with her and the chick?

Here's a picture of the chick and egg:

 

[yinepu]

looks like he wasnt quite ready to hatch yet.. a bit more blood than there should be.. so he might be weak for a day or so .. just try to keep him warm and hopefully he makes it ok.. may also have a bit of yolk left to absorb too.. so keep an eye out for that..

 

[Lacrystol]

I agree he's not quite ready yet, if you have an incubator, I would put him in, sounds like she's doesn't quite know what to do and I'm afraid she may end up stepping on him again and killing it. Perhaps if you incubate him he would have a better chance of survival. If not then just leave him in with mommy but keep and eye on him so she doesn't step on him again..

 

[Uniontown Poultry]

Quote:
I totally agree. He doesn't look ready, but leaving him in w/ mama might not be the best option (if you don't have an incubator though it's your only option). Keeping him warm and safe are the best things you can do now to try & help him survive (he may not). If your chick emerges from what's left of his shell & you can see a sizable yolk sac still attached to his belly, his survival chances are slim, but not impossible. The reason for this is that his navel will still be open (b/c it is trying to absorb the yolk sac) & if bad bacteria gets in, it has immediate access to his major organs. If the yolk sac is not that big, and his navel just looks a little raw, I recommend powdered sulfur aka flowers of sulfur. It is a stinky yellow powder (sold in old-fashioned pharmacies, farm/feed stores, natural food stores, gardening shops, and online) that is an antibiotic that dries open wounds and helps them heal. It is great for chick navels that aren't completely healed. Just dust on 3-5 times a day the first day, 2-3 times after that until navel is healed, usually only a few days.

Get/keep your chick warn and safe now. If the egg had pipped before your hen stepped on it, the chick has a much better shot, since he was all that much closer to hatching anyway. I would also recommend removing eggs from this hen when she goes broody. Some breeds (esp. big breeds like Jersey Giants) can be clumsy on a nest. My JG, Cookie, smushed all but 2 of her eggs - poor clueless thing. She got wooden ones after that to sit on. We're all pulling for your little guy!!

 

[acooper7989]

Unfortunately I do not have an incubator.
I am at the whim of mother nature and hopefully she takes pity on this chick!
I'll be sure to keep you guys and gals updated.
I'm hoping the little chick pulls through, I don't want a funeral

 

[acooper7989]

I checked in on the little one.
Still inside the egg, still peeping.
I hope that mamma hen is keeping it nice and warm.
She wasn't too happy about me checking up on her

Another quick checkup revealed that he's emerging a little more, can't see an egg sack if there is one yet.

 

[Uniontown Poultry]

We are all pulling for him!

I am thinking if he was the one you saw through the little hole in the egg, there may not be too much yolk sac left to absorb, and since generally, the more yolk sac the worse his chances, this would ge a good indicator. If he broke through the egg already (pipped the egg) before it got stepped on, then he only had like 24hrs or less left before he would have hatched anyway, which means he wouldn't have that much yolk sac left, which means his prognosis wouldn't be too bad. That's what I'm thinking anyway.

Are you planning on letting mama raise them or do you have a brooder?

 

[acooper7989]

Yepp, it's the same one that pipped. I was inspecting it when she started stomping around. Silly girl.
I'm planning on letting mamma raise them but if she has any trouble I have a brooder set up already.

 

[acooper7989]

I checked in on the chick this morning. It's dry, has no yolk sac hanging is having a little trouble walking and is alert.
Hoping the little one does well!

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
check his toes and make sure they arent curled.. otherwise since he lost some blood he may be a little slow getting to his feet.. do you have any electrolytes you can add to his water?