I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!

[Chicken_of_WA_kn]

My family and I just bought 6 chicks to put under our broody hen. After we grabbed the eggs out from under her we replaced them with the chicks. We brought the eggs inside and started opening them as a joke thinking “These have been under her for a while they probably smell bad.” And then after opening 3 eggs my mom freaks out. Inside the egg my mom opened was an almost fully developed egg. It looked to be 2-3 days away from hatching. It was even trying to breath. It was so sad and me and my mom were almost crying. We were very shocked we got rid of our roosters almost a month ago. So we were very surprised we had forgotten to grab that egg from under her. We gathered the rest of the eggs that were under her and started candling them while my brother “took care” of the chick. It was very sad. We found that another egg had a chick inside of it. We were very confused for a while and took the egg back outside and put it under the hen. I checked several times today and she wasn’t on the egg when I checked. But when I put the egg next to her she would put it under herself. But I think them the chicks would move she would stand up and move to sit on them where they were. Leaving the egg behind. But I would set the egg next to her and she would push it under herself. And scared that she will move off the egg to sit on her chicks again, and be unable to get the egg back over to herself. I’m very concerned. I care very deeply for this egg considering what had happened to the other, and I don’t want to leave it to mother nature. Is there a way I can incubate an egg without an incubator? Or help? Please I need to do something.

 

[Oob Child]

I hope your chick and egg does ok! I wish I could help, but I'm not the best at these things. I'll tag a know-it-all who I think can help.
@Nabiki probably knows something.

Wishing you and your babies luck!

 

[Nabiki]

Put it into an incubator as soon as possible. Hopefully you will get it into the incubator soon enough for it to survive.

 

[Chicken_of_WA_kn]

Put it into an incubator as soon as possible. Hopefully you will get it into the incubator soon enough for it to survive.

We don’t have an incubator, is there an easy one you can make at home? We have a heat lamp. Keep it humid? I don’t know!

 

[Nabiki]

We don’t have an incubator, is there an easy one you can make at home? We have a heat lamp. Keep it humid? I don’t know!

If you don't have an incubator, you need to give up on the egg. It's been hours at this point, so the chick is not likely to still be alive. I'm sorry.

 

[Chicken_of_WA_kn]

A hen will kick out rotten eggs on her own.. it’s almost like Mother Nature has done all this stuff before and knows what to do unlike some people.. take this as a sign that you owe it to the dead chicks and maybe you should try to research and learn a bit more about keeping chickens. Experience (good or bad) is the best teacher..

I’ve kept chickens for over 5 years now, hatching and raising them. Quail as well. It’s not that I don’t know how to take care of chicks. It’s that I don’t want to give up on this chick until I know she won’t sit on it. Because she keeps putting the egg under herself. But she moves to be on the chicks that move.

 

[Mason Farm and Ranch]

I’ve kept chickens for over 5 years now, hatching and raising them. Quail as well. It’s not that I don’t know how to take care of chicks. It’s that I don’t want to give up on this chick until I know she won’t sit on it. Because she keeps putting the egg under herself. But she moves to be on the chicks that move.

OK, I've hatched 1 egg this way during the summer. I put it in my bra. The chic did hatch. She is alive today. 3 months old. I know her parentage so I must report that she has scissors beak that is NOT genetic. It was likely caused by the drop in temperature before I decided my boobs were warm and moist like a chickens breast and stuck it in there.

 

[NatJ]

It’s not that I don’t know how to take care of chicks. It’s that I don’t want to give up on this chick until I know she won’t sit on it. Because she keeps putting the egg under herself. But she moves to be on the chicks that move.

The problem is that the other chicks do move.
The hen can stay with the egg, or she can move with the chicks, but she cannot do both.

I think you are going to have to choose one or the other: either do something different with the egg (incubator or give up), or do something different with the chicks (put them in a brooder and leave the hen alone with the egg, in which case she might sit on it or she might be ready to quit: you won't know unless you try it.)

My family and I just bought 6 chicks to put under our broody hen. After we grabbed the eggs out from under her we replaced them with the chicks. We brought the eggs inside and started opening them

In future, if you have a broody hen sitting on eggs, you might want to candle the eggs before you decide about buying chicks.

We were very shocked we got rid of our roosters almost a month ago.

Hens will typically lay fertile eggs for at least a week after the rooster is gone, and sometimes for longer (up to 3+ weeks in some rare cases.)

Allow for 3 weeks of incubation, it's not surprising to have chicks hatch a month or so after getting rid of a rooster.

 

[MiMito3]

My family and I just bought 6 chicks to put under our broody hen. After we grabbed the eggs out from under her we replaced them with the chicks. We brought the eggs inside and started opening them as a joke thinking “These have been under her for a while they probably smell bad.” And then after opening 3 eggs my mom freaks out. Inside the egg my mom opened was an almost fully developed egg. It looked to be 2-3 days away from hatching. It was even trying to breath. It was so sad and me and my mom were almost crying. We were very shocked we got rid of our roosters almost a month ago. So we were very surprised we had forgotten to grab that egg from under her. We gathered the rest of the eggs that were under her and started candling them while my brother “took care” of the chick. It was very sad. We found that another egg had a chick inside of it. We were very confused for a while and took the egg back outside and put it under the hen. I checked several times today and she wasn’t on the egg when I checked. But when I put the egg next to her she would put it under herself. But I think them the chicks would move she would stand up and move to sit on them where they were. Leaving the egg behind. But I would set the egg next to her and she would push it under herself. And scared that she will move off the egg to sit on her chicks again, and be unable to get the egg back over to herself. I’m very concerned. I care very deeply for this egg considering what had happened to the other, and I don’t want to leave it to mother nature. Is there a way I can incubate an egg without an incubator? Or help? Please I need to do something.

I’m sorry for the nasty judgmental replies you received. Totally rude and uncalled for. Guess their own human mom never taught them the Thumper rule.

 

[Chicken_of_WA_kn]

OK, I've hatched 1 egg this way during the summer. I put it in my bra. The chic did hatch. She is alive today. 3 months old. I know her parentage so I must report that she has scissors beak that is NOT genetic. It was likely caused by the drop in temperature before I decided my boobs were warm and moist like a chickens breast and stuck it in there.

Thank you so much . I’m glad you were able to give the chick another chance! Sorry about the scissors beak. I will keep this noted. Thank you again, so much!