I Found a surprise clutch

[FarmMomof3]

Last evening my hubby and i found 6 chicks up in our hay loft with a mama hen sitting on 5 more eggs.
We moved the new family to a more suitable area because we were worried that the chicks didn't have any food or water up in the hay loft.

But now mama hen has abandoned her 5 un hatched eggs as well as one of her weaker chicks (which did die today, despite my attempts to keep it alive)
I took the abandoned eggs out of the nest and i now have them in a basket on top of a hot water bottle and some warm towels. I don't have an incubator currently.. we were looking for one, but hadn't found one yet. but now i have these eggs, one egg is peeping when you move it.. the others aren't peeping at all.

Now I'm wondering a few things.
How can i tell if the chicks in the eggs that don't make any noise are still viable? when i took the eggs from the nest this morning that we really really cold.. I'm wondering if that killed them?
Also... since i have one peeping egg... I'm guessing it's close to hatching? Should i help it along? what do i do here?

I've never done this before at all... I need some guidance.

Thank you so much in advance.

 

[FarmMomof3]

Anyone have some answers for me?

 

[Kevin565]

You can attempt the float test to see if any of the others are viable. As for assisting the other one I wouldn't unless it's showing signs of distress because intervening often causes more issues than it solves.

 

[Stephanie739]

If it is pipping, it is ready to hatch. I have helped a few hatch before at that stage, and they thrived. I have left others to do it themselves even when the time seemed too long, and they did die. I would help it hatch if its been many hours without change. I guess I would give the others time in the shell, but if they are same age, I would probably help those along (or confirm death) in a day or so. Your makeshift incubator sounds good. You should aim for 100 degrees and keep it humid.

I have a mama raising 1 baby right now, and I have the one other baby. The mom left it in the coop alone. Its eye is crusty, seems weak.

Good luck.

 

[Stephanie739]

The reason I would definitely help that one along is because you don't have a mama or incubator. I think it would have a better chance out of the shell. Of course raising one baby alone is going to be an issue too.

 

[Stephanie739]

I wonder if you could hatch it, keep it with you for a day, then sneak it under the mom the next night?

 

[FarmMomof3]

We are going to attempt to give the chick back after it's hatched and fluffed up.If the other eggs hatch as well then i won't have to worry to much about raising one alone.

If we can all agree that if this pipping egg hasn't hatched by tomorrow at say Noon (PST) then I'll give it a little tap to crack it and see if the chick does the rest on it's own. I've also been told that if the other eggs don't hatch within 24 hours of the last egg hatched then they are duds. or at least the chicks have died. I just want to make sure i understand the float test correctly

If it sinks it's good
If it floats it's bad. Right?

 

[FarmMomof3]

Well the little peeping egg hatched just after dinner. He was bleeding a little... I'm not sure if that is good or not... We put him under the mama hen and we'll check on him in the morning. It's up to the universe now.

 

[Stephanie739]

Well the little peeping egg hatched just after dinner. He was bleeding a little... I'm not sure if that is good or not... We put him under the mama hen and we'll check on him in the morning. It's up to the universe now.

Hopefully he will make it. I'm still trying to decide what to do with my lonely baby chick. His eye is still goopy, but seems fine other than that..I'm not sure I want him with the other seemingly healthy chick.

 

[Stephanie739]

My lonely chick is now with his sibling and mom. He or she is doing fine. The goopy eye and bottom cleared up, the mom and sibling happily accepted him. He/she is a little slow responding to mom's call, but I think he/she is going to be fine.