THE MOTHER'S DAY HATCH-A-LONG!!!! The last day to join in and set eggs with us is April 28th.

[chicks4fun]

Oh I am so heart-broken! I knew I should have moved my broodie sooner but I've been so busy. One of my EE hens keeps laying her eggs there & I take them out each day. Today when I picked up my broddie she held onto the new egg & dropped it on one of her baby eggs & IT BROKE!

I could see the baby inside was breathing but too young to survive. I went ahead & cleaned her face from a clear membrane----really not sure what to do.
She didn't live an hour. I don't know if I did the wrong thing or if she wouldn't have made it either way.
She would have been beautiful. She was in my lightest colored egg. But she is gone now.
I am down to six.
I moved the hen into a large rabbit cage and put her on the other side of the shed I use as a chicken coop. She can see the other hens but she is safely away from anyone laying eggs or bothering her. This was my fault---not what I wanted for my Mothers Day

I am so mad at myself & sad for that little baby too.

 

[stargazerlabs]

I have 3 that have hatched and all but 2 of the 12 have pipped

Happy mother's day!

 

[Arielle]

Oh I am so heart-broken! I knew I should have moved my broodie sooner but I've been so busy. One of my EE hens keeps laying her eggs there & I take them out each day. Today when I picked up my broddie she held onto the new egg & dropped it on one of her baby eggs & IT BROKE!

I could see the baby inside was breathing but too young to survive. I went ahead & cleaned her face from a clear membrane----really not sure what to do.
She didn't live an hour. I don't know if I did the wrong thing or if she wouldn't have made it either way.
She would have been beautiful. She was in my lightest colored egg. But she is gone now.
I am down to six.
I moved the hen into a large rabbit cage and put her on the other side of the shed I use as a chicken coop. She can see the other hens but she is safely away from anyone laying eggs or bothering her. This was my fault---not what I wanted for my Mothers Day

I am so mad at myself & sad for that little baby too.

Sorry.

I've had this happen too. You are not alone. You're right the broodies need their own safe havens away from the other girls. ANd yes sometimes we are too busy. Two broodie experiences was enough for me to realize I'm not set up to handle broodies well, so I won't do broodies until then.

 

[mayberrygirl]

I am up to 8 of 11 hatched, and 2 of the last 3 eggs are pipped!! This is already my best hatch rate yet!

 

[Arielle]

I have 6 out I thing, I'm loosing track!! Many have the umbilicus still extending out thru the abdominal wall. Today is day 21 If I calculated right; set on the 22nd. Anyone know what has happened, or what I need to do differently?

 

[Cynthia12]

4 out of 6 that went into lock down made it. Pictures later of my new Silkie babies.

 

[chicks4fun]

Sorry.

I've had this happen too. You are not alone. You're right the broodies need their own safe havens away from the other girls. ANd yes sometimes we are too busy. Two broodie experiences was enough for me to realize I'm not set up to handle broodies well, so I won't do broodies until then.

Thanks for you kind words. I have her safe now & she seems to have settled in well. I couldn't believe that the new egg broke the one with a chick in it???? The fresh recently laid egg was unharmed. Boy, I wish it had been the other way around. When I picked up the other six eggs (while moving the broodie) they all feel heavy---hope that is a good sign.

 

[shardean]

I just joined BYC...so ddn't know about Mother's day hatch..but I did have 15 chickens hatch this weekend!

 

[shardean]

Here is the whole lot!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: WIll you have an opportunity to set other eggs with the same breeding that broke? I hope you can. I learned during this hatch a thon that the egg shells become more brittle because the calcium goes to the chicks to make the bones etc.So that will be the one more likely to break. GLad the broody has been mored and you can relax a bit.