New baby worried about mum's behaviour.

[VanSintjan]

Ten minutes ago I checked on our broody Ida who is laying on day 22 today. She was off the eggs eating. All eggs except one looked solid and one smashed but I didn't get a good look since she became protective when I came and went back on the eggs. I heard a chicken beeping loudly thoug and it became quiet when mum came back but I didn't see it so I don't know if it was from a piped egg or a hatched chicken. I checked her again 5 minutes agoe and she was still laying. I will keep checkin on her without interfering until tomorrow. But is it normal that a broody goes off to eat in the middle of a hatch?
I had a fantastic cochin bantam years ago that hatched eggs several years for me and she didn't go anywhere. I had to lift her off once a day to get her to eat and dring dudring the first 18 days and then I switch nest for the eggs since she didn't keep it clean and that way we hatched nearly 100%.This is my first go with standard cochins and it's Ida's first time also. Should I sit there to make sure she stays on?

 

[coopist]

Quote:
Hello, and welcome to BYC. Just so you know, in English the term for broodiness is "sitting" rather than "laying," LOL. The word "laying" only refers to the production of eggs and might confuse some members.

Okay so to answer your questions. It's a bit unusual for a broody to get off the nest in the middle of a hatch, but it isn't unheard of.

I can't tell from your post if the "smashed" egg was broken by the hen or if it was hatching. But, either way, it may be best to just let her do her job. However, I'd watch her closely.

Best of luck.

 

[VanSintjan]

Thank you. I just checked on her again and she is sitting (thanks) on the eggs. I made some beeps and I heard a chicken answer me loud and clear. When she hears her chicken she "talks" with it so I guess they will be ok.
The smached egg was flat so it was either left overs or a broken egg. It had something dark around it but it was to flat to be a chicken left in it. She threw her self back on the eggs when I came so I really didn't have the time to see something.
I will check on her again before I go to bed. There is at least 7 eggs to go. I hope I hear more beeps tomorrow. She has been doing so good. Left the eggs once a day for 20 minutes only. I could set my clock by her routine. If it goes bad i gonna try to place her with my 11 one week old's from the incubator but I hope this little one makes it.
She has lost a few eggs though. There was 13 from the beginning and I have taken out left overs from two earlier when she was eating but last time I checked there was only 8 or 9 left when there should have been 11.

 

[VanSintjan]

The chick that hatched yesterday was dead this morning. Another chick hatched during the night but also died. The rest of the eggs didn't pip. I candeled them and there was chickens inside bu since there was no sogn I gently opened the aircell and still no sound. I peeled them gently and two had dead fully formed chicks in them. One had even sucked up the yolk completely. Two had died on an earlier stage.
To comfort Ida I put her with my one week old chickens from the bator. I didn't want too put them in with her in the dirty nest so i put them in my prepared out dood brooder with a heating lamp.
The chickens said - Yes a mum, but Ida said -Noop, that's not my babies.
The first thing she did when i let her out was going to look for her nest of dead babies. It is so sad. The nest was crawling from small creatures and the dead chickens was already full of small worms.
In the future I will let my broody hens lay on false eggs and put newborn dry ones under them from the bator. this is not gonna happend again.
the first chick sounded so strong yesterday evening.
The nest was lined with good hay and she kept it so clean so I don't know what else I could have done to keep it free from small creatures. I think it might be the climate here. It is so humid.
Would it be a good idea to put a layer of chalk on the flooring under the nests?

 

[silkiechicken]

Day 22/23 and fully formed chicks or weak ones who didn't "last" per se. My first guess is she may have had too many eggs to keep warm all the time so some got rotated "out" and chilled. That may explain the late hatch and fully formed/weak chicks that didn't make it.

As for accepting a chick, usually that is done at night when all are asleep. Pop one under and check in the morning. If she is a first time mom, also possible that she rejected the chicks herself as not all setters make good mothers.