Our bantam year old hens are hatching chicks. We watched as one began hatching this morning & when we returned to it the poor little one was laying on the wood chips while the hens ignored it. There was blood in the shell & the chick did not seem to be breathing. Now for the really awful part-I thought it was dead & laid it in the trash bag! Shortly after my husband saw it move & began holding it in his hands to warm it. After abou 1/2 an hour we put it back with the mamas, but whe we checked the hens were ignoring it as it lay struggling on its back. We have it in the house, in a small box on a heating pad & my husband has been holding it a lot. One eye is open & it doesn't seem to be able to stand-just sits on it's little butt with feet sticking out. Is this normal for a chick that' about 6 hours old? Please help! We need to know what to do!
Maybe why the hen ignored it, but I'd just keep it warm. It's still nourished with egg for at least another day, so don't attempt to feed or water yet. Good luck.
Take it inside with you and keep it warm-give it feed and water available-it's a better choice than leaving it in with the mommas that aren't caring for it. Then when it is stable in a few day ( ) you can try and slip it back under momma with the rest of the chicks. Sometimes moms are great at hatching but not so much at mothering
