Please Advise: Problems with chicks, should I monitor bator?

[dustbath]

I'm hoping for some advice: I had a hen who was sitting on a clutch of eggs but they kept hatching and dying; I found the first dead outside the nest, another one had an unabsorbed yolk sack and herniated intestines, and the third looked as if it had been pecked. I removed the two remaining eggs to an incubator.

A neighbor suggested that the mother may not have been turning the eggs and the chicks have been sticking to the shells. Does this sound likely? If so, should I monitor the incubator to assist when they hatch? What would I need to do? How long will it take for them to hatch or for problems to emerge (ie, how often do I need to check)?

Any advice or suggestions would be welcome. Thanks!

 

[justusnak]

When did the others hatch? If you took 2 and put them in the bator, they ashould be hatching within a day or two I would think. Could really be a number of causes. Is it really hot there? Is she a first time setter? Are these eggs inbred? I would watch the bator...and just let mother nature take her course. Did you candle them to see if they are viable before putting them in the bator?
Good luck with them,keep us updated on the hatch!

 

[dustbath]

The first egg hatched last Wednesday and the second Thursday, so over a week ago. The third hatched the day before yesterday. So it's strangely drawn out.

The temperature has fluctuated a lot here but recently it's been quite warm (mid to upper 80s, warmish for this time of the year). This was a sudden increase in heat. It's also been raining constantly after a long dry period.

She is a first-time setter. I'm a first timer with chicks too. I got the hen from a neighbor who has a large flock who are pretty much on their own. She's definitely a cross of at least two types but I have no idea where her parents came from or when so I don't know about her gene pool. Could it be an in-breeding problem?

I tried using a slide projector to candle the eggs before putting them in the incubator but couldn't see a thing. The light didn't seem to shine through the shells.

What do you think?

Thanks!