PLEASE HELP! Baby chicks in danger!?

[Grand12]

I'm in need of some help! So I am very new at this, I am taking care of some chickens and I accidentally picked up the eggs from a hens nest thinking they were just regular eggs. I rinsed them because they were dirty. But then I found out that I wasn't supposed to pick them up! I feel like an idiot! As soon as I realized this I ran back and placed them back under the hen. The water that I used to rinse them was not very cold but it also wasn't as warm as their nest. I had them out of the nest no more than 5 minutes. Did I completely screw up and kill those baby chicks? Or is there still hope? For the record I'm not sure how long they have been there. Help!

 

[DawnCols]

I'm not experienced myself, but I think there's a good chance those eggs are fine.

I read about hens hatching chicks, that they will leave the nest for a few minutes now and then to eat. So I imagine a 5-minute adventure out of the nest shouldn't hurt them. Especially if the water temperature wasn't extreme.

Good luck, and welcome to BYC.