*UPDATE* Day 19 Hen left the eggs!

[GockeyEgg]

I have a broody hen sitting on 5 eggs. She left the nest today to help raise 3 recently hatched peeps. I haven't seen this hen off the nest in the last 18 days, she decided to take off on day 19. The 5 eggs were cold to the touch when I discovered them. One of them has a pip, one of them I can hear inside peeping(really cool), and I can hear all of them tapping back at me if I tap on their egg(when I hold it up to my ear). I tried to get her to sit on the eggs again but she is refusing. I do not have an incubator. What should I do? Is there a way to finish them with a heat lamp?

 

[clarkestep]

I see no one has responded yet. I am new and don't know anything but.... if I were in this situation I would put the eggs in a box with some wet sponges and under a heat lamp and see what happens. You are so close..... It would at least be a shot and the worst thing that could happen is that you lose the chicks anyway. You could also save them just the same. I wish I could be of help. (PS I'm only on day 2 of my first batch).

JC

 

[newbiecaroline]

GockeyEgg, how are they doing? did you get them some heat and humidity?

 

[Harley's girl]

Do you have a heating pad? If so then I would put them on a heating pad (Not too hot) and put that inside a box. Then put a small bowl or glass of warm almost hot water in the box too. Your chickies still need humidity. And last but not least.........PRAY!!! Good luck, I had a hen do this once but I do have an incubator. Keep us updated!

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Anything you can put them in to keep them warm and humidity up will work. E.I. an electric skillet, toaster oven (follow link in sig.), ice chest with a lightbulb if you can get it to come to 101-102. Put in a small dish of water with a washcloth, so you don't have a water hazard to drown in.

Good luck!

 

[GockeyEgg]

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I knew they needed humidity, I just had no idea how much and I had no way of even measuring the humidity. Yikes.

Here is the update.

We brought the hen that was sitting on the eggs inside and put her in the brooder with the eggs. When I checked on her she was sitting on the eggs. I was happy. She was still there before we went to bed. Then in the morning she was off of them and they were stone cold. Dang.

I held each egg up to my ear to see if I could hear anything from them. I didn't hear anything at all. I went back and forth and back and forth and decided to just open the eggs. I know it isn't a recommended thing but I really thought they were all goners. I opened the egg with the small pip in it first(it had made no more progress 24 hours later and no sound coming from it). I thought that chick was dead at first but then it moved a little. I got it under the heat lamp right away. It is still alive and doing great!

The second egg was a dud. The third was a tiny black chick that had already passed. The fourth had a black and white chick in it that didn't live very long(maybe 30 min). The last egg had a little white chick that was still alive. That chick is also still alive and doing great!

I am just letting them find their feet in the brooder under the lamp and then I am going put them out with the Moms(there are 3 out there running around raising 3 little chicks).

 

[MissPrissy]

Hens seem to be able to sense when something is wrong with the eggs. With babies on the ground and those 3 bad eggs she instinctly knew to quit. Nice save on the 2 but I urge you to watch for developmental issues and perhaps boost their systems with a vitamin or some cooked egg.