Urgent please help with hatching chick

[Lillith37]

I need some help. My broody has been sitting on two eggs. The mother hen is off the nest and on the floor of the coop with the chick that hatched. The other egg has pipped and I could see the beak and so I gently used tweezers to remove the shell around the air sac. The membrane was dry so I moistened it with coconut oil. The chick is making swallowing motions and the membrane shows veins still.

What do I do to help it hatch now? I don’t have an incubator and Yinny is busy with the other chick.

I have another broody sitting and she is at about 8 days. Should I put the egg under her? Should I bring the egg inside and keep moistening it until it hatches? Please help!

 

[NatJ]

The other egg has pipped and I could see the beak and so I gently used tweezers to remove the shell around the air sac. The membrane was dry so I moistened it with coconut oil. The chick is making swallowing motions and the membrane shows veins still.

Good thinking so far. That sounds like the chick is not really ready to finish hatching yet, probably still absorbing the yolk.

What do I do to help it hatch now? I don’t have an incubator and Yinny is busy with the other chick.

I have another broody sitting and she is at about 8 days. Should I put the egg under her? Should I bring the egg inside and keep moistening it until it hatches? Please help!

Gosh, that's a hard one. There are several things you could do, but I don't know which would actually be the best.

As a short-term emergency measure, I would probably try putting the egg under the other broody, but keep a close watch on her. Some broodies will accept a chick who hatches that soon after they begin sitting, and some will attack the chick. I would hope she can let it stay under her for long enough to absorb the yolk. Or at least long enough for it to stay warm while you figure out something else.

If that does not work, or you don't want to risk putting it under the other broody, taking the egg inside would be the next logical thing to try. Some people make emergency incubators from a box with a light bulb for heat, or a jar of hot water for heat. No matter what heat source you use, you will need to use a thermometer to keep the temperature right, and you will need something to keep humidity up (a wet sponge or wet cloth near the egg is a good first choice for that.) The internet tells me you want a temperature between 37 and 38 celsius for chicken eggs to incubate or hatch. (I am used to thinking in Fahrenheit, but I notice that you are in Australia. So I checked for the right celsius number.)

After dark tonight, you might be able to put the egg back under the mother (Yinn) for the night. Broody hens usually stay in one place while it is dark.

Once the chick does hatch, I think there is a good chance that you can have Yinn raise both chicks, unless she decides to reject the late one. (Some hens are fussier than others about taking in chicks, so you will have to just try it and watch how it goes.)

 

[Lillith37]

I brought it inside, filled a hot water bottle with warm water and a cup with warm water. I put the cup and the egg on the hot water bottle and put a plastic Tupperware container over it. I have no way of telling the temperature or the humidity unfortunately. The chick is still swallowing and cheeping. Hopefully it can hatch today and I can put it back under Yinny tonight.

 

[NatJ]

I brought it inside, filled a hot water bottle with warm water and a cup with warm water. I put the cup and the egg on the hot water bottle and put a plastic Tupperware container over it. I have no way of telling the temperature or the humidity unfortunately. The chick is still swallowing and cheeping. Hopefully it can hatch today and I can put it back under Yinny tonight.

Good thinking! I hope it does well!

As a partial check on the temperature, maybe hold your finger against the skin of a broody hen, then hold your finger on the egg or the surface the egg sits on. That will at least tell if it is way too hot or way too cold.

 

[Lillith37]

I ended up helping the chick hatch after most of the veins had gone and it was making thrusting motions with its head. The yolk has all been absorbed thankfully but the umbilical cord is still attached to chick and eggshell with a red vein going through it. The chick is lying sprawled on its stomach with eyes closed. Every so often tries to push itself up without success.

 

[NatJ]

I ended up helping the chick hatch after most of the veins had gone and it was making thrusting motions with its head. The yolk has all been absorbed thankfully but the umbilical cord is still attached to chick and eggshell with a red vein going through it. The chick is lying sprawled on its stomach with eyes closed. Every so often tries to push itself up without success.

Thanks for updating, and I do hope the chick does well

That chick behavior sounds normal for a just-hatched chick (hatching is hard work, and babies need a lot of sleep.)

 

[Lillith37]

Thanks for updating, and I do hope the chick does well

That chick behavior sounds normal for a just-hatched chick (hatching is hard work, and babies need a lot of sleep.)

It ended up being quite the traumatic day for that little chick. It dried out and started cheeping its head off and trying to get around. I saw that its feet and toes were curled in. It was walking on the outside edges of its feet and unable to stand properly. One of its legs was also splaying out to the side. So after some research I made little sandals out of vet-wrap and some stiff plastic and did the Band-Aid hobble for its legs. Towards dusk I introduced the chick to Yinny and she was curious and accepting. It’s nighttime now so hopefully it’s getting some well earned rest under its proper mama.

The other chick was zooming around like a rocket today and already bonded well with Yinny and we’ve also got several wet days ahead. I’m nervous the second chick won’t be able to keep up so I’ve set up the dog crate inside and tried to make it as chick safe as possible. In the morning I’ll put Yinny and her babies in there and see how they go. My backup plan is to ask if the guy who gave me the eggs could take the chick, he’s got quite the operation and has proper brooders and lots of other chicks of various ages.