1st a little background
On May 3rd I had two broody hens among my 15. I asked the Father at our parish church for a few fertile eggs to put under them. ( I have no roosters) I asked for some green eggs from him. He gave me nine eggs. I put 5 under the silkie as they have a reputation for being good mothers and 4 under my cochin. The silkie kept a dirty nest, her eggs were always poop coated (I did not want to wipe them fearing too much handling might mess up development and looks really run down. The cochin leaves the nest a lot. There has been a foul smell in the coop for about a week. Of the eggs 1disappeared, 2 were eaten by other hens, 1 rolled out from under the hen and got cold. There were two under the silkie and three under the cochin.
This morning I went out to check the girls and gather eggs. In the corner I hear peeping and see a black something in the straw. I pick it up and it is a little chick but both the broody hens have run outside like they do every morning for food and water. I look in the closest nest which is the silkie nest and it still had 2 eggs. then I look in the cochin nest and there are only 2 and a shell. It must have some how gotten across the coop from the cochin nest. When I put the baby under the cochin she pecked it. So I put the baby under the silkie.
I also looked at the other eggs under the cochin and heard pees and felt movement. So I left them alone. I looked at the silkie nest and felt and heard nothing and they stank. I threw them on the ground and they were rotten. That was a stupid mistake. The other chickens ran straight to them and ate the mess.
1st question
If I eat eggs from those chickens that ate the mess, will I get sick?
I started thinking the silkie nest might be too polluted for the little chick so I moved the silkie and the chick to another small straw container filled container.
2nd question
Was this a bad thing to do?
3rd question
Will the cochin peck at the 2 pips that are yet to hatch should I remove them also?
On May 3rd I had two broody hens among my 15. I asked the Father at our parish church for a few fertile eggs to put under them. ( I have no roosters) I asked for some green eggs from him. He gave me nine eggs. I put 5 under the silkie as they have a reputation for being good mothers and 4 under my cochin. The silkie kept a dirty nest, her eggs were always poop coated (I did not want to wipe them fearing too much handling might mess up development and looks really run down. The cochin leaves the nest a lot. There has been a foul smell in the coop for about a week. Of the eggs 1disappeared, 2 were eaten by other hens, 1 rolled out from under the hen and got cold. There were two under the silkie and three under the cochin.
This morning I went out to check the girls and gather eggs. In the corner I hear peeping and see a black something in the straw. I pick it up and it is a little chick but both the broody hens have run outside like they do every morning for food and water. I look in the closest nest which is the silkie nest and it still had 2 eggs. then I look in the cochin nest and there are only 2 and a shell. It must have some how gotten across the coop from the cochin nest. When I put the baby under the cochin she pecked it. So I put the baby under the silkie.
I also looked at the other eggs under the cochin and heard pees and felt movement. So I left them alone. I looked at the silkie nest and felt and heard nothing and they stank. I threw them on the ground and they were rotten. That was a stupid mistake. The other chickens ran straight to them and ate the mess.
1st question
If I eat eggs from those chickens that ate the mess, will I get sick?
I started thinking the silkie nest might be too polluted for the little chick so I moved the silkie and the chick to another small straw container filled container.
2nd question
Was this a bad thing to do?
3rd question
Will the cochin peck at the 2 pips that are yet to hatch should I remove them also?