Putting the chick into a brooder is what most do in this situation.Well, all 3 of Cookie's remaining eggs hatched with 3 healthy little cherub faced bantam chicks happily peeping out from under mom.
Betty Jo's first hatch was a near disaster and still isn't out of the woods. I was outside working on the last brooder pen and something told me to check on the baby. Silly little thing had completely zipped, tore loose from the bottom half of the egg, severing the cord and a small amount of unabsorbed yolk sack. It was breathing and moving but the upper half of the shell was drying to it's head and shoulders and it couldn't get free. I got it out from under mom and peeled off the remainder of the egg. Little thing is worn out but hanging in there. I saw mom peck at the yolk sack so I moved the baby farther under her. Checked before I came in and baby is still weak-ish but moving and protesting when mom parked a foot on it's little neck.The second egg has hatched without problems and mom is happily cluck cluck clucking to it and the remaining eggs.
I may have to decide whether or not to pull the first chick and put it in the incubator so it can dry out and safely absorb the rest of the yolk sack (and praying that mom didn't rupture it when she pecked at it
What do you guys think? This is my first partial unabsorbed yolk sack on a chick.