Let my hen abandon her eggs?

[citychicks99]

Two of my hens went broody at different times and other hens continued laying eggs in the nest. I tried marking the eggs with a colored pencil but all of it rubbed off so I have no idea of the timeline.

The first hen started brooding on June 7. Exactly three weeks later four chicks hatched. Eight eggs were left so I moved mama #1 and her chicks into their own place. A few days later, one chick hatched under mama #2. This was on Monday. I wasn't sure if I should let her keep sitting on the rest of the eggs so I candled the rest to see if I should toss them.

I don't have a lot of experience candling eggs but one of them got poo on it so I was pretty sure that one was dead. I thought they were all dead until I saw vein movement in one. I held it still in case it was moving from when I moved it but nope, veins were pulsing! I was going to toss the other five but I checked them again just to be safe and I swore I saw feathers in one of them and I saw it move. The other two eggs are blueish green brown so it was really difficult to see. I put them all back under the hen except for the one with poo. I cracked that one open and sure enough, it was dead and smelled rotten. I think it died pretty early on because a body didn't even form.

I'm still a little undecided on what to do. Should I wait until the mama hen abandons her nest? I know it's riskier now because the one chick is eating and drinking and pooping. I don't have an incubator for the rest of the eggs. I saw this video for a makeshift incubator and I do have everything she used in the video. I'd probably leave it in my bathroom for the humidity. I tried this in the fall with abandoned eggs but I think they were all dead already. They were blue so I couldn't really see. I am a little nervous about doing it myself but if she abandons them I will try. But should I take them from her now so she and her baby can enjoy themselves in the sun?

Also, do broodies eat their eggs while brooding? I counted fifteen once but after the chicks hatched I only counted twelve total including the ones that hatched.

 

[citychicks99]

Bump

Please help. It seems like the solo chick isn't as stable as his/her cousins. She/he has been in the coop with mama #2 since he/she hatched on Monday. There's still six eggs left and I'm not sure when they'll hatch. Should I just move them inside and attempt to incubate them in a makeshift incubator so mama #2 and her chick can start their life? I don't want to risk an already hatched chick for something that may or may not happen but I did see movement in at least two of the remaining eggs.... My original plan was to wait until Saturday or until the mama abandons the eggs. Should I stick with this plan or focus more on the alive chick and just try and incubate the remaining eggs myself knowing that the hatch rate will probably be super low if I do it myself.

 

[Kiki]

I'd leave her and the eggs alone and let nature take its course.

 

[Sussex19]

Bump

Please help. It seems like the solo chick isn't as stable as his/her cousins. She/he has been in the coop with mama #2 since he/she hatched on Monday. There's still six eggs left and I'm not sure when they'll hatch. Should I just move them inside and attempt to incubate them in a makeshift incubator so mama #2 and her chick can start their life? I don't want to risk an already hatched chick for something that may or may not happen but I did see movement in at least two of the remaining eggs.... My original plan was to wait until Saturday or until the mama abandons the eggs. Should I stick with this plan or focus more on the alive chick and just try and incubate the remaining eggs myself knowing that the hatch rate will probably be super low if I do it myself.

Have you put food and water within easy reach of the chick? You need to make sure it can eat.
This is the very real problems of a staggered hatch. I would take mum and her chick off the eggs for a short leg stretch, and let mum poop out of the nest, and then put them back and see if she will keep sitting.

 

[citychicks99]

Have you put food and water within easy reach of the chick? You need to make sure it can eat.
This is the very real problems of a staggered hatch. I would take mum and her chick off the eggs for a short leg stretch, and let mum poop out of the nest, and then put them back and see if she will keep sitting.

Yes, they have been eating and drinking. The chick is looking a little wobbly to me but not sure if that's normal. It still looks pretty sleepy for the most part. I thought of giving them electrolytes just to be safe.

The mum has been coming out to poo and letting the chick alone in the nest. I picked up the chick earlier because I thought it had pasty butt but the mom didn't get off the nest to follow me. Turns out it was just the chick's belly button because it pooped on my hand.

 

[Peppercorngal]

My broody girl had 5 eggs due to hatch on Thursday. One hatched on Monday! I moved her and the other 4 eggs to a floor nesting box, and put a dish of chick food and a "baby" waterer close by. The chick could eat and mom could continue to set her other eggs. Mom was good about continuing on the other eggs until two more hatched and she then abandoned the eggs. I didn't want to get out my incubator, so I just put the two eggs in a small basket with a heating pad! It didn't take long and one hatched out. After an hour I put it back with mom and it was fine. The last egg never hatched and I found it had not developed.

 

[Sussex19]

Yes, they have been eating and drinking. The chick is looking a little wobbly to me but not sure if that's normal. It still looks pretty sleepy for the most part. I thought of giving them electrolytes just to be safe.

The mum has been coming out to poo and letting the chick alone in the nest. I picked up the chick earlier because I thought it had pasty butt but the mom didn't get off the nest to follow me. Turns out it was just the chick's belly button because it pooped on my hand.

Maybe try giving the nest a clean with fresh bedding when mum is out side?
Chicks shouldn't be looking wobbly once they are a few days old, so that is a bit concerning. I have never had problems with chicks staying in the nest for a few days longer than normal, so I'm wondering if anything else is going on with it.

 

[citychicks99]

Maybe try giving the nest a clean with fresh bedding when mum is out side?
Chicks shouldn't be looking wobbly once they are a few days old, so that is a bit concerning. I have never had problems with chicks staying in the nest for a few days longer than normal, so I'm wondering if anything else is going on with it.

Yes, I wonder if the nest needs to be cleaned since the other 4 chicks stayed in it for a day and may have pooped in it already and there was poo on an egg that I didn't see when I counted them so it may need to be cleaned. I didn't want to move the eggs but I'll do it to be safe.

 

[citychicks99]

My broody girl had 5 eggs due to hatch on Thursday. One hatched on Monday! I moved her and the other 4 eggs to a floor nesting box, and put a dish of chick food and a "baby" waterer close by. The chick could eat and mom could continue to set her other eggs. Mom was good about continuing on the other eggs until two more hatched and she then abandoned the eggs. I didn't want to get out my incubator, so I just put the two eggs in a small basket with a heating pad! It didn't take long and one hatched out. After an hour I put it back with mom and it was fine. The last egg never hatched and I found it had not developed.

I'll set up a bin with a heating pad in case she abandons the nest. Did you leave any water for humidity? Did you cover the basket?

 

[citychicks99]

Quick update:
They were in a storage bin in a dog crate and I moved them out of the dog crate so I could clean it. When I came back they left the nest to forage while still staying in the coop. The eggs were dirtier than I saw them yesterday. Another had poop on it and I sniffed the outside and it smelled rotten. I think mama #2 is having a hard time holding it in so I just set up a bin inside with a heating pad and put the remainder of the cleanish eggs on a paper towel. I'll give them until Saturday.

I cracked open the one that had poo on it. It was clean yesterday. I saw a dead baby chick and I think it looked like it was maybe getting ready to pip? Because it's beak seemed like it was geared in a position pointing out. I should have just tried to incubate them all yesterday. Sigh.