Hope someone can help me quickly!!!!

[robbinsroost]

I did not have an incubator and had a hen that was being broody. This hen would set golf balls! Finally I gave her 2 eggs to set on. Today I checked on the eggs and noticed what looked like a vein on it, anyways it hadn't been there before. She has been setting on these 2 eggs for a little over 2 weeks, not sure because I stupidly did not mark it down. After I noticed the vein looking thing I just went back in the house. Well the brooding hen must have gotten down to eat, and the next thing I knew I saw one of my black austrolorps running with something in her mouth, I knew immediately what it was. Needless to say it did not make it. The other hens including this baby eater had not bothered the eggs before whatsoever. I had my husband go get an incubator and have the other one in it. I know it is still alive because it is moving around. My question is do you think that the baby that didn't make it was hatching and the other hens heard it, there was no egg shell at all in the nest. It looked perfectly formed a little shy of feathers on the rump, toenails on its feet. Please help me I am not sure about the other one, except that it is moving around. I have never incubated eggs before.

Thanks for any help!!!!!! Michele

 

[can you hear me now?]

When a hen goes brood and you let het hatch.and sit on eggs it is a good idea to have somewhere not in the flock for her to do this. The bigger birds would have probably killed one if it did hatch. The brood would protect it but depends in how many birds it needs to fend off. In the incubator add water and bring it to temp. They usually come with thermometer with that temp marked and hopefully in a week or so you will have a fuzzy butt running around.

 

[Crack N' Egg]

Hi! I'm so sorry for your loss.

Sometimes you just can't explain things like this. I think that if you are going to have a broody set, you should try to separate her from the rest of the flock. Chickens are know to eat anything and everything, even each other.

 

[dieselgrl48]

So sorry about your chick.I just had 2 broody hen's sit and hatch 11 egg's between the 2 the OEGB hen hatched 8 under a building and the Columbian hatched 4 I had to retreive one from OEGB so didnt count it but that chick did live.I kept the 2 hens with babies in horse stall where duck's have sep. pen at night and some other bantam's roost at night.The hen's were super good mama's.They would flogg off any of the other birds if they got in there around the chick's.Sometime's other bird's will dominate though.I had even had my giant layer Sexlink go in there this summer foraging etc. and they never bothered the lil one's or the mama's.My silkie on the other hand hatched 7 3 silks I think and the rest OEGB and she has 3 left 2 OEGB and one silkie dog nab hawks GRRRRRRRRR>

 

[littleleeranch]

it takes 21 days for the eggs to hatch so if she was only setting for 2 weeks it wasnt all the way formed and it didnt suffer at all....make sure to put water in the bottom of the incubator and keep the temp at as close to 99.5 as you can....it may go up and dow a degree or two and if it does dont worry about it...but if it goes more than that turn it up or down a little....make sure to turn the eggs i usually do it 3 times a day at about 8am 2pm and 10pm...when there r 3 days left until it is 21 days old stop turning the eggs....and dont do what i made a mistake of doing...dont open the incubator the last 3 days unless you need to add water....u will lose humidity and the egg wont hatch...i had 2 that i could hear peepin and i kept opening mine and i know thats what killed them...

 

[littleleeranch]

oh yea and take both your red caps out...

 

[robbinsroost]

Thanks for replys. The hen was setting on them longer than 2 wks poss 3 I am just not sure. I can see the egg moving in the incubator, so I know it is still alive. I think they were close or are close to hatching, because like I said no hens bothered them at all until today. What if I put the egg in upside down if it had settled into its position to hatch. P.S. I did take the red caps off. Thanks for your help!

 

[can you hear me now?]

Sounds to me like it will hatch real soon. Get that humidity up by getting hot water in there so the membrane don't dry out. If you keep an eye you will hopefully see where t pips. If you set upside down you will probably notice and can turn it if need be.

 

[robbinsroost]

Thank you Overrun with chickens, thats what I was needing to know! I am so upset, I feel like it is my fault, poor little chick didn't even have a chance. I thought the mother would protect them. Shows me!