What went wrong with my hatch?

[krista74]

Things didn't start out so well. We had 11 eggs under Broody, and two went rotten and exploded all over her and the other eggs. A hasty clean-up and back onto the nest, hubby and I candled the eggs at about 14 days and tossed out another two - one not fertilised and one rotten as all get-out.

Down to 7 eggs, one hatched yesterday at Day 20 - a healthy chick!

Day 21 (today) and we have one dead chick semi-hatch. It got half way out the egg, but when I found it it's eyes were sort of fused shut (as if they had never opened at all) and it's belly was all squishy, swollen, and looked green underneath it's very fine layer of belly skin. The shell was stuck to it in places but the yolk was absorbed. I saw very little blood anywhere.

Any ideas on what went wrong there?

The remaining 5 eggs are still in the nest, with Broody on top of them, 36+ hours post hatching the first healthy chick. So far, no more movement and no chirping. Tomorrow I am away all day at work, so I guess any other eggs not hatched the next day get chucked out? Surely Broody will want to leave the nest and feed Peepers at some point?

Do you think the rotten egg explosion killed all the other chicks inside their eggs? One live chick from 11 was not the best introduction to hatching chickens. To be honest I'm a little sad about it, especially for Peepers who doesn't have a little friend to play with - YET.

I was not so sad that I didn't put 10 eggs under Broody #2 this afternoon......!

Any tips for a better hatch? Broody #2 is in a really high nest but I plan to move her after candling around Day 8. Hopefully she will want to go with her eggs by then.

- Krista

 

[PD-Riverman]

Things didn't start out so well. We had 11 eggs under Broody, and two went rotten and exploded all over her and the other eggs. A hasty clean-up and back onto the nest, hubby and I candled the eggs at about 14 days and tossed out another two - one not fertilised and one rotten as all get-out.

Down to 7 eggs, one hatched yesterday at Day 20 - a healthy chick!

Day 21 (today) and we have one dead chick semi-hatch. It got half way out the egg, but when I found it it's eyes were sort of fused shut (as if they had never opened at all) and it's belly was all squishy, swollen, and looked green underneath it's very fine layer of belly skin. The shell was stuck to it in places but the yolk was absorbed. I saw very little blood anywhere.

Any ideas on what went wrong there?

The remaining 5 eggs are still in the nest, with Broody on top of them, 36+ hours post hatching the first healthy chick. So far, no more movement and no chirping. Tomorrow I am away all day at work, so I guess any other eggs not hatched the next day get chucked out? Surely Broody will want to leave the nest and feed Peepers at some point?

Do you think the rotten egg explosion killed all the other chicks inside their eggs? One live chick from 11 was not the best introduction to hatching chickens. To be honest I'm a little sad about it, especially for Peepers who doesn't have a little friend to play with - YET.

I was not so sad that I didn't put 10 eggs under Broody #2 this afternoon......!

Any tips for a better hatch? Broody #2 is in a really high nest but I plan to move her after candling around Day 8. Hopefully she will want to go with her eggs by then.

- Krista

How to have a good Hatch!!! Collect your eggs """"EVERY"""" day!! EVEN the eggs under a hen that might be going broody!! If you see/think a hen is going broody Make sure to remove any eggs from under her daily, BUT when you remove the eggs under Daily place one Fresh layed egg under her. The next day remove that egg and place/leave another fresh egg under her. If she is staying on the nest/broody for sure after a couple days---"SET" her by placing every how many ""FRESH LAYED" eggs you want under her or every how many she can cover. If she is setting where other chickens can lay fresh eggs in her nest---Mark the eggs you put under her so you can check and remove any fresh layed eggs in her nest DAILY. For chicken eggs, you can light her eggs on day 18 and remove the bad ones. I move All my setting hens to a private(hatching pen) but I wait for a few days after they start setting. I do this at """night'''' (Just after dark)and have never had one to leave her nest of eggs. I moved 27 hens this season. I Place water and food so she can see it from her nest(not sure this helps, but I do it) If "I" did not have a place to move her to---(for best hatch--I would fix a place so other hens do not lay in her nest and stomp/break her eggs) if not before-- by day 18 I would fix her nest where other chickens can not get to her nest. At the end of day 18 leave her alone, do not lift her anymore to "See" if you do it will affect the moisture under her and can affect her hatch. I feel THIS is the best way to have a Better hatch. I am no Pro, but I have had 27 hens to hatch just this season---after removing bad eggs on day 18----they have hatched 99.7% of the eggs. Rarely does a egg Not Hatch. Hope this helps!! Good Luck!!

 

[krista74]

OK, thank you.

I think I did most of that, she definitely only had fresh eggs and I did candle them, but as I said some exploded on Day 14 and it all went downhill from there.

I am guilty of having a little peak every few days though. I guess next time I will leave her be, and not look under her except for candling day.

Thank you.

- Krista