Trampled egg with peeping baby inside - Help!

[JRaper77]

We had a broody hen that hatched 3 babies out yesterday, and then decided she was done. Left, buried and trampled the remainder of the nest. My 11 year old (chicken master) just sent me this picture of an egg he rescued from outside. I'm 2 hours away and can't get home for another 6. He says it's peeping loudly in there (or at least was an hour ago

). I've never had this situation (we only use broody hens to hatch or buy baby chicks) - we don't have an incubator. He's put it on a heating pad on low.....what do I tell him to do next? Wet the membrane? Does it look like it's being shrink-wrapped? Not sure if we should help....He said he can see wet feathers thru the little hole, but no beak. Not sure what day it is....she was sitting on a nest we found late in the game with eggs from multiple hens (and at multiple stages of development when I candled a week ago).

 

[Duck_life]

@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @aart might be able to help. I am sorry this is happening.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We had a broody hen that hatched 3 babies out yesterday, and then decided she was done. Left, buried and trampled the remainder of the nest. My 11 year old (chicken master) just sent me this picture of an egg he rescued from outside. I'm 2 hours away and can't get home for another 6. He says it's peeping loudly in there (or at least was an hour agoView attachment 1911557 ). I've never had this situation (we only use broody hens to hatch or buy baby chicks) - we don't have an incubator. He's put it on a heating pad on low.....what do I tell him to do next? Wet the membrane? Does it look like it's being shrink-wrapped? Not sure if we should help....He said he can see wet feathers thru the little hole, but no beak. Not sure what day it is....she was sitting on a nest we found late in the game with eggs from multiple hens (and at multiple stages of development when I candled a week ago).

Oh dear!
Are there visible blood veins?

I would hate for him to try to open it more and the chick be dead inside. It can be a bit yucky and disturbing even for an adult.
The heating pad is good idea, hatching eggs do need some humidity, the problem with putting something like a paper towel on it would be it gets cold. The membrane does look dry and that may become a bit of a problem. Do you have any triple antibiotic ointment or coconut oil that he can gently put a thin layer on the membrane? This will keep is more moist.

Now...is there an adult in the house? If there is, then you can also try using your crockpot to finish incubating. I've not done this, but there was a girl a while back that ran into an emergency like you did - her quick thinking, she hatched some of the eggs! Crockpot on warm, some moisture (not directly on the eggs, I think she put a couple of wet paper towels in there on the side. Towels for cushioning and a meat thermometer to monitor heat (you want 99F if possible). Lid closed of course, this allowed some humidity to build up in the pot.

Here's direct links to what she did: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-and-they-are-peeping.1302920/#post-21227393
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...they-are-peeping.1302920/page-2#post-21230138
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...they-are-peeping.1302920/page-2#post-21230142

 

[JRaper77]

Oh dear!
Are there visible blood veins?

I would hate for him to try to open it more and the chick be dead inside. It can be a bit yucky and disturbing even for an adult.
The heating pad is good idea, hatching eggs do need some humidity, the problem with putting something like a paper towel on it would be it gets cold. The membrane does look dry and that may become a bit of a problem. Do you have any triple antibiotic ointment or coconut oil that he can gently put a thin layer on the membrane? This will keep is more moist.

Now...is there an adult in the house? If there is, then you can also try using your crockpot to finish incubating. I've not done this, but there was a girl a while back that ran into an emergency like you did - her quick thinking, she hatched some of the eggs! Crockpot on warm, some moisture (not directly on the eggs, I think she put a couple of wet paper towels in there on the side. Towels for cushioning and a meat thermometer to monitor heat (you want 99F if possible). Lid closed of course, this allowed some humidity to build up in the pot.

Here's direct links to what she did: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-and-they-are-peeping.1302920/#post-21227393
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...they-are-peeping.1302920/page-2#post-21230138
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...they-are-peeping.1302920/page-2#post-21230142

Thank you for your help! He can still hear the cheeping inside, so it's not dead. I can talk him thru the coconut oil to moisten, wasn't sure if that was a bad idea. Thank you so much for the link....kept searching and was having a hard time finding a comparable situation. Crock pot is ingenius....

 

[JRaper77]

Oh dear!
Are there visible blood veins?

I would hate for him to try to open it more and the chick be dead inside. It can be a bit yucky and disturbing even for an adult.
The heating pad is good idea, hatching eggs do need some humidity, the problem with putting something like a paper towel on it would be it gets cold. The membrane does look dry and that may become a bit of a problem. Do you have any triple antibiotic ointment or coconut oil that he can gently put a thin layer on the membrane? This will keep is more moist.

Now...is there an adult in the house? If there is, then you can also try using your crockpot to finish incubating. I've not done this, but there was a girl a while back that ran into an emergency like you did - her quick thinking, she hatched some of the eggs! Crockpot on warm, some moisture (not directly on the eggs, I think she put a couple of wet paper towels in there on the side. Towels for cushioning and a meat thermometer to monitor heat (you want 99F if possible). Lid closed of course, this allowed some humidity to build up in the pot.

Here's direct links to what she did: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-and-they-are-peeping.1302920/#post-21227393
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...they-are-peeping.1302920/page-2#post-21230138
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...they-are-peeping.1302920/page-2#post-21230142

THANK You!! It worked. Hopefully he makes it thru the next day and we can sneak him back under the mama!!

 

[aart]

THANK You!! It worked. Hopefully he makes it thru the next day and we can sneak him back under the mama!!

BRILLIANT!!
Good Job Young Man!

 

[glassdragonfly]

Great job!

 

[slordaz]

he jsut needs to make sure there is no bleeding, for the most part the egg shell should have protected the little one, if it's cheeping it will be an assisted hatch as egg is already broken up, and have a towel or something to keep said chick warm ones the egg shell is gone, you will either need to brood it or try and see if the momma that hatched out will take it in , if not a small box with a 60 watt incandescent bulb will be enough to keep it warm, with like a small Tupperware lid for water so it doesn't drown

 

[EggWalrus]

THANK You!! It worked. Hopefully he makes it thru the next day and we can sneak him back under the mama!!

Make sure to try to sneak it under her at night. Every time I've tried to put one under in daylight the Momma tried to kill it or push it away. Good luck!

 

[slordaz]

Thank you for your help! He can still hear the cheeping inside, so it's not dead. I can talk him thru the coconut oil to moisten, wasn't sure if that was a bad idea. Thank you so much for the link....kept searching and was having a hard time finding a comparable situation. Crock pot is ingenius....

wouldn't have thought of the crockpot idea that is a really good one, I hatch sometimes in a brooder so always have a make shift brooding pen available