Please help!! Two broody hens and 2 dead chicks

[NewChickenMomma2020]

Hi everyone, first time poster here!

We’ve been raising chickens for 3 years now, but this is our first experience with broody hens. We don’t have a rooster, but there’s one next door who visits, so we think he got to some of our hens.

It started with one hen brooding; we waited the 21 days but nothing happened. When we collected the eggs and cracked one open, we found out it had been fertilized but was a quitter, so we left the hen to sit a while longer to see if any more hatched. Another week passed with no chicks hatching, and I tried candling the eggs, but I don’t think I did it correctly. When we cracked two open, they had also been fertilized.

Another week passed, and now a second hen is brooding on the nest. Yesterday we went out and found a dead chick in the coop. It didn’t look like it had anything wrong with it, but it was away from the mom(s), so maybe died of exposure? This morning we found another chick in the coop, half alive. We got it under a heat lamp and tried to give it some water with a pinch of sugar in it. But it died two hours later. My kids are so crushed.

What am I doing wrong here? Should I be collecting the eggs and trying to incubate them away from the hens? I thought it’d be best to leave the chicks with their mom, but I’m not sure why they’re dying. What can I do to help these mommas? They’re both first-time brooders. Thanks so much for any advice!!

 

[nuthatched]

Did you give your broody hen her own area? It's best so she doesn't end up with a bunch of eggs at different stages of development. Candling in a dark room will help you see.
The chicks also might have been killed by the hen, not all hens are good moms.

 

[NewChickenMomma2020]

Did you give your broody hen her own area? It's best so she doesn't end up with a bunch of eggs at different stages of development. Candling in a dark room will help you see.
The chicks also might have been killed by the hen, not all hens are good moms.

We didn’t put her in her own area at first because we just didn’t quite know what to do. Now we’ve separated the two brooders from the rest, and they have their own food and water. Is there anything else I can do to help them?

 

[nuthatched]

We didn’t put her in her own area at first because we just didn’t quite know what to do. Now we’ve separated the two brooders from the rest, and they have their own food and water. Is there anything else I can do to help them?

Is this the same clutch of eggs?
If so, Break them from being broody and pitch the eggs.

 

[NorthernMIFlock]

Sorry to hear about your losses, it’s so hard . What type of hens are your broodies? It’s going to be hard to give advice for the future without knowing what your coop set up is like, are there other laying hens in with the broody, where is the nest they chose to sit etc. I get a broody every summer and although my coop situation isn’t ideal, I always let her hatch chicks. I think it’s always best to make sure your broody has her own space where other hens are not trying to lay their eggs. It is also good to try to candle when the broody gets off the nest to eat or drink. That way you can remove duds or quitters before it’s hatch time. That also helps to avoid eggs developing at different stages. That can be a real problem if a couple hatch and she won’t leave the nest due to other eggs there. I think it’s good to also mark the eggs you give her so any other eggs can be removed before hatch time. Hatch time for mine is kinda stressful, because my broody usually chooses a high nest. I wait till around 19-20 days and then put a little cardboard fence around her nest, so she can get out but the babies can’t fall out. I spend more time in the coop listening for tiny peeps, and as soon as one hatches, I move her and the whole nest down to a safe spot on the floor and put baby water dishes and chick crumble nearby. Some of the things you can kind of control, but even under the best circumstance, chickens are weird and unpredictable and you can have losses. I hope going forward your momma can get a couple babies!

 

[FunClucks]

The chicks could have been killed by the broody mom or by her flockmates, or by a predator that would leave your larger chickens alone. Do you have pictures of your setup, broody enclosure and nest, and of the dead chicks? We might be able to give better suggestions once we see what you're dealing with.

 

[NewChickenMomma2020]

Is this the same clutch of eggs?
If so, Break them from being broody and pitch the eggs.

I don’t think it’s the same clutch because the one hen has been brooding for over a month now. But now the second hen is in there too, so I don’t know what eggs are from what clutch. When we tried to take them before to break the cycle, it turned out some were fertilized. Now we’ve found 2 chicks, so they are hatching but not surviving. That’s why I’m so confused about what to do because I can’t determine the timing of it all.

 

[FunClucks]

I don’t think it’s the same clutch because the one hen has been brooding for over a month now. But now the second hen is in there too, so I don’t know what eggs are from what clutch. When we tried to take them before to break the cycle, it turned out some were fertilized. Now we’ve found 2 chicks, so they are hatching but not surviving. That’s why I’m so confused about what to do because I can’t determine the timing of it all.

I think the only way to know for sure what's going on is to candle the eggs. There are Articles that can help you know how they look during different stages of development (search Incubation and Hatching section of Articles). If you can get a very high lumen flashlight and a very dark room (or night time), you will be able to tell which are close to hatching. If you want to be sure the chicks are safe, put the developing eggs in an incubator, or be present when they hatch to see what happens and why they die (with hopes to prevent it). Toss all undeveloped or under-developed eggs, and mark the ones you've inspected and will keep with an X or with a number that corresponds with development level.

Good luck!!!

 

[NewChickenMomma2020]

I think the only way to know for sure what's going on is to candle the eggs. There are Articles that can help you know how they look during different stages of development (search Incubation and Hatching section of Articles). If you can get a very high lumen flashlight and a very dark room (or night time), you will be able to tell which are close to hatching. If you want to be sure the chicks are safe, put the developing eggs in an incubator, or be present when they hatch to see what happens and why they die (with hopes to prevent it). Toss all undeveloped or under-developed eggs, and mark the ones you've inspected and will keep with an X or with a number that corresponds with development level.

Good luck!!!

Thanks so much for all your help and advice! I will give these things a try.

 

[NewChickenMomma2020]

I think the only way to know for sure what's going on is to candle the eggs. There are Articles that can help you know how they look during different stages of development (search Incubation and Hatching section of Articles). If you can get a very high lumen flashlight and a very dark room (or night time), you will be able to tell which are close to hatching. If you want to be sure the chicks are safe, put the developing eggs in an incubator, or be present when they hatch to see what happens and why they die (with hopes to prevent it). Toss all undeveloped or under-developed eggs, and mark the ones you've inspected and will keep with an X or with a number that corresponds with development level.

Good luck!!!

Oh and I forgot to attach some pics of our setup and the dead chick. The hens are Rhode Island Reds, and I should mention that the chick we found today that was still alive (but died later) was covered in parasites of some kind. Not sure if they were on it beforehand, or if it was once she fell/was dragged out of the coop. The brooders are both in the nesting box that is attached to their house. I’ve since closed off the little house area so no other hens or predators can get in.