They hatched!!! supplemental heat?

[RobinS1217]

@RobinS1217 Do you have a heat lamp that you can set up a diy incubator? The pipped egg needs warmth. My gut instinct says to put the remaining eggs in a box with high sides, put a heat lamp above it and then close off the top as much as you can and try to get temp to 99.5. put all the remaining eggs in there to give them a chance. If you don't have a heat lamp maybe your friends do?

@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @azygous can you help with diy set up for eggs abandoned by broody? It's a staggered hatch.

I have a heat lamp. The eggs stayed under it while mom wouldn’t sit. Does the box need to be wood? I turned the lamp off at 7 when it was getting dark. Momma quickly went back to eggs and babies are under her with eggs. Hoping the fact the babies need warmth will keep her sitting.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @azygous can you help with diy set up for eggs abandoned by broody? It's a staggered hatch.

I wouldn't consider this abandoment. She has chicks that are 5 days old already, how much longer would you expect her to sit on eggs when she has chicks to tend too?
Usually a broody is up and out moving with chicks, eating/drinking within 24-48 hours of hatch.
I do have a question - there's a mention that the broody was let off the nest to go potty in the yard, so is she tightly confined with the chicks and eggs? Broodies need space to get off the nest with their chicks to scratch around and to show them food/water.

The broody may take in any chicks that hatch now or she may not. Be prepared to brood them yourself.


For the eggs that remain, if they are still viable and you need an emergency way to heat them, try a crockpot.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-and-they-are-peeping.1302920/#post-21227393

I went to let momma off her nest to potty in the yard

The oldest is 5 days old today.

 

[RobinS1217]

I wouldn't consider this abandoment. She has chicks that are 5 days old already, how much longer would you expect her to sit on eggs when she has chicks to tend too?
Usually a broody is up and out moving with chicks, eating/drinking within 24-48 hours of hatch.
I do have a question - there's a mention that the broody was let off the nest to go potty in the yard, so is she tightly confined with the chicks and eggs? Broodies need space to get off the nest with their chicks to scratch around and to show them food/water.

The broody may take in any chicks that hatch now or she may not. Be prepared to brood them yourself.


For the eggs that remain, if they are still viable and you need an emergency way to heat them, try a crockpot.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-and-they-are-peeping.1302920/#post-21227393

This momma and her 4 chicks and 5 eggs are in a brooder set up. Momma had been picked on while sitting in the coop. A chunk of her comb was taken off. Even through that she refused to leave her nest so I thought it would be best to move her. The coop she was in was 86in long by 48 wide and 48 tall - elevated 48 off the ground. Because of the height from ground I imagined it wasn’t a good idea to have the chicks there anyways. And this momma is low on pecking order. Our rooster is pretty rough too. Their run is attached by 4 fr chicken tunnel to our main run (not sure measurements) which our first batch of layers have claimed that coop and won’t share at night. There is just fencing on that side and the chicks could escape. I was/am concerned how that would play out. I have a 84x48x48 mesh wire wrapped separate run that is against the main coops run so they can acclimate through the fence. I am working on building a mini coop house with appropriate height roost for momma and the babies. We have Fox and raccoons and it being spring I wanted to be sure they had a safe place to sleep before I put them out of the brooder. The brooder they’re in is about 40x30x18. I have seen the mom showing them out to eat and drink. Yesterday was when she got up and was showing them how to scratch. That’s when I said she wasn’t being careful around the eggs. She was burring them in pine shavings and kicked one around without paying attention. She went back to her nest last night about 7 and is still there- so another 12 hours. Should I let the one pipped hatch under the mom? Or move them all to crock pot? Do you have any comment about the green spot on the egg from above?


(Chicken tunnel and run behind shed which is in between coops not shown in photos)

 

[SmiYa0126]

Can you get an incubator today and raise the rest of the chicks that hatch in a brooder? Instead with mama?

Any box would do.

 

[RobinS1217]

Can you get an incubator today and raise the rest of the chicks that hatch in a brooder? Instead with mama?

Any box would do.

That means I’d be buying an incubator (I’ve asked locally and no one has an empty one) and a second brooder. No, I can’t do that.

Momma was still sitting on them when I left the house to take my children to an appointment. We will be back in a couple hours and I’ll assess.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Well, since you have a heat lamp, any container can be a brooder. TSC has cheap incubators, since your eggs are hatching soon, they wouldn't need to be turned.

 

[RobinS1217]

Well, since you have a heat lamp, any container can be a brooder. TSC has cheap incubators, since your eggs are hatching soon, they wouldn't need to be turned.

It hatched!! She’s tiny. momma isn’t being careful around her. She’s gotten rolled once in the five minutes I’ve been standing here while momma is trying to show others how to scratch. I’ve got the heat lamp directly over babies and eggs in the corner out of mommas way for now.

 

[SmiYa0126]

It hatched!! She’s tiny. momma isn’t being careful around her. She’s gotten rolled once in the five minutes I’ve been standing here while momma is trying to show others how to scratch. I’ve got the heat lamp directly over babies and eggs in the corner out of mommas way for now.

Thank goodness!!!! She's all fluffy already! I would just add another feeding and watering station in the brooder and make sure it's warm. Can you candle the other eggs to see how far along they are?

 

[RobinS1217]

Thank goodness!!!! She's all fluffy already! I would just add another feeding and watering station in the brooder and make sure it's warm. Can you candle the other eggs to see how far along they are?

A friend said momma and babies needed more space. I’ve got them in a set up for during day but I’m confident heat lamp isn’t warm enough for today’s hatchling. Friend then recommended I put today’s chick and eggs under heat lamp back in brooder but I’m afraid to separate mom and baby although mom isn’t nurturing her enough already.

 

[RobinS1217]

I put remaining 4 eggs under another broody bird whose only been sitting around 7 days. I marked them so will take them by Saturday if not hatched. I will try to take them once fluffy so momma#2 doesn’t abandon her own eggs. I’ll move those babies to the brooder with heat lamp with the one who hatched today whom I put with a hat mate for company and for her to teach her how to drink and eat by example. Momma hen clearly isn’t caring for today’s hatch. I have mom and 3 chicks in the yard during day and will bring them back to brooder with today’s hatchling and her hatchmate each night to try to maintain bond. At least until they’re old enough to be safe around momma.