My chicks are dying

[MakNat]

Stupid hen hatched a few then left the other eggs. Day 21. I found them alone and cold yesterday barely pipped. I brought them in under a heat lamp, with temps flucuating of course. Late in the night I could still hear some movement and peeping. Now nothing really and they have made no progress since I found them. They are still alive, but barely. There are 2, they are small bantam eggs too. I feel so helpless...

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

So sorry. How very disappointing. I guess not all hens make good mothers.

 

[Chickenaddict]

It must have been a staggered hatch, I would wrap them in a damp paper towel under the heat lamp because they need the humidity to hatch. If they got too dried out you may have to help them out of the egg and wet the membrane with warm water carefully avoiding the beak and nostrils of the chick inside.

 

[Akane]

If they've been pipped about 24hours or more I'd start removing some shell and see if there are any blood vessels. There are some stickies in the incubation forum about helping chicks out of their shell. Odds are they are stuck in the shell because of lack of humidity. Without the hen sitting on them or any form of moisture provided by you they will not hatch under a lamp because they will dry to the inside of the shell and be stuck. You need to provide moisture for eggs to hatch. It might work to add moisture now but it may be too late and then they won't hatch without help. It is very very easy to kill a chick while helping it hatch though. If you move too quickly or early and break a blood vessel before the blood is absorbed or remove the chick before the yolk is absorbed they will bleed to death and die within seconds to minutes.