Hi, and
Oh, I so feel your pain. This exact same thing happened to my first hatch too.
This is what I did:-
Prepare a bucket of quite warm water (not so hot it burns your hands, but slightly warmer than body temperature), some paper towels, a bucket of fresh hay (or whatever you use for nesting materials), a torch, and if possible, a helper to assist you.
Go out to the chicken's nest at dusk, and get your helper to hold your broody hen. It is really important for you both to work quickly, and quietly so as not to disturb her too much.
Gently pick up all of the good eggs and sit them somewhere safe for a moment. Whip out the dirty hay and crushed egg mess. Replace the hay with fresh bedding, and make sure there is plenty in there so it's comfortable for her.
Pick up each egg and inspect it quickly. If it's reasonably clean, pop it back in the nest. If it's covered in egg mess, dampen a paper towel and rub off the worst of the egg muck. Keep going until you have put all of the good eggs back in the nest.
Quietly and calmly get your helper to put Momma Hen back at the nest. Don't put her right on top of the eggs as she may crush them. Instead, put her right
in front of it, and give her a gentle prod to make her step into the nest by herself.
HOPEFULLY, she will settle back onto the nest and all will be well.
How many chicks hatch out is anyone's guess. If the burst egg was simply crushed, and was not full of bacteria, the rest of the eggs should not have been damaged. If you were unlucky like me, and the egg burst because it was rotten, that can affect hatchability of the other eggs.
One final thing:- Have you separated her from the rest of your flock? This is a good idea, as quite often eggs will get squashed when other hens are trying to push their way into the same nest to lay on top of or beside your broody hen. A separate, fenced off area will prevent that from happening.
I wish you all the very best!
- Krista
