I needed advice on what to do next time. I was gone all day and when I came home I went to check one of my broody hens (eggs should hatch on 7/2). She has 9 eggs under here and one was missing part of the shell....at least half of it. I have no idea what happened. The sac was still intack but I thought for sure the chick had died, so I opened it up and it was still alive. I started running back to the house to put it into the incubator, but it died before I could get there. I could tell there was a chick in the sac by the shape. SHould I have left it alone and put in the incubator, or was it a lost cause.
I've only been doing this a few years now, I mean raising chickens etc.. And one thing I've learned is that when a hen is setting on eggs never interfere no mater what, what happens..happens. Every broody hen I've had in the last two years has had a 99-100% hatch rate.
I should have just left it! I really thought it was dead. I thought that maybe she got up and then another hen layed an eggs and crushed that egg, but there were not any other eggs in the box.
Well, sometimes things happen and you just don't know what to do. You did the best thing you could think of at the time. I know that doesn't answer your question though. I just hope you are not beating yourself up over it.
Next time, Dont open it. Take a *DAMP* *WARM* paper towel and place it over the missing part of the shell. Take and place in the bator. Don't beat yourself up it happens
