Will this baby make it?

[4and20blackbrds]

This is the end of a long story with a terrible hen.

I’m afraid I’ve killed this chick

I believe it was due to hatch anywhere from Friday to Tuesday (looked about 7 days on March 10th).

yesterday evening I went to check on the broody, and I found the egg with half of its shell missing. Like I said, terrible hen.

I brought it inside and it’s been in a heating pad/make shift incubator. It’s peeping and adorable.

it was trying to ge tout of the rest of the shell, so I slipped it off a bit, to see what the yolk was doing. And this is what I saw

It seems the heating pad was too warm and has cooled the remnants of the yolk . Plus whatever is going on with it’s navel.

I’m keeping it warm in the bottom of the shell. But I don’t know what to do. I did turn the heat down.

Do I keep it in the shell and hope it’s navel closes?

 

[MGG]

This is the end of a long story with a terrible hen.

I’m afraid I’ve killed this chick

I believe it was due to hatch anywhere from Friday to Tuesday (looked about 7 days on March 10th).

yesterday evening I went to check on the broody, and I found the egg with half of its shell missing. Like I said, terrible hen.
View attachment 2065441

I brought it inside and it’s been in a heating pad/make shift incubator. It’s peeping and adorable.

it was trying to ge tout of the rest of the shell, so I slipped it off a bit, to see what the yolk was doing. And this is what I saw

View attachment 2065439
View attachment 2065442
It seems the heating pad was too warm and has cooled the remnants of the yolk . Plus whatever is going on with it’s navel.

I’m keeping it warm in the bottom of the shell. But I don’t know what to do. I did turn the heat down.

Do I keep it in the shell and hope it’s navel closes?

View attachment 2065446

Ok, put the whole thing in a bowl so the chick can't get out of the shell until its ready. I think it will be ok. I don't see any yolk left in there, just some embryo feces. Are any more eggs hatching? Just leave that little cutie alone for a few hours, it will close up on its own.

 

[4and20blackbrds]

Ok, put the whole thing in a bowl so the chick can't get out of the shell until its ready. I think it will be ok. I don't see any yolk left in there, just some embryo feces. Are any more eggs hatching? Just leave that little cutie alone for a few hours, it will close up on its own.

no, this is the only one that made it this far. She started with 5 eggs. Last week 3 of them disappeared. There was this one and another egg. The other egg was a goner.

I need to figure out what to do with the hen. After this one broke she hopped nests. I can’t really break her either. And last fall she killed a chick by not staying in the nest and it followed her out of the coop and got cold and died.

 

[MGG]

no, this is the only one that made it this far. She started with 5 eggs. Last week 3 of them disappeared. There was this one and another egg. The other egg was a goner.

I need to figure out what to do with the hen. After this one broke she hopped nests. I can’t really break her either. And last fall she killed a chick by not staying in the nest and it followed her out of the coop and got cold and died.

Can you get one more chick from a feed store or somewhere and raise them in a brooder? I think you need to break your broody somehow. Don't give her this chick back. Maybe you would consider selling her? Idk, she sounds difficult. Maybe you could just collect the eggs as soon as they're laid?

 

[4and20blackbrds]

Can you get one more chick from a feed store or somewhere and raise them in a brooder? I think you need to break your broody somehow. Don't give her this chick back. Maybe you would consider selling her? Idk, she sounds difficult. Maybe you could just collect the eggs as soon as they're laid?

im going to have to see if the feed store is open.

this hen once sat on nothing for 3 months. She is the worst (she’s a silkie and not very smart lol). She’s my daughter’s bird.

Maybe I’ll just give her a fake egg and she’ll get bored eventually.

 

[MGG]

im going to have to see if the feed store is open.

this hen once sat on nothing for 3 months. She is the worst (she’s a silkie and not very smart lol). She’s my daughter’s bird.

Maybe I’ll just give her a fake egg and she’ll get bored eventually.

Those poor silkies. They are not too smart fro what I've heard, maybe the vaulted skull crushes their brain, lol. Birds get very thin very fast when they put everything into hatching their eggs. I would put her in a tiny crate of some kind and try to break her.

 

[chickens really]

Is your nest she is on exposed to the entire flock? I'm thinking it's not the Hen setting that your problem. It's the other flock members.
It might be okay if you give it time to absorb the yolk and get stronger. Do not give it anything by mouth till it's up on its feet.

 

[4and20blackbrds]

Is your nest she is on exposed to the entire flock? I'm thinking it's not the Hen setting that your problem. It's the other flock members.
It might be okay if you give it time to absorb the yolk and get stronger. Do not give it anything by mouth till it's up on its feet.

it is, but it’s mostly this hen. She just sucks. She never goes into ‘lockdown’... she does really well for the first 2 weeks and then something happens and she just goes rogue. It’s happened 3-4 times now. I wasn’t planning on letting her sit again or ever, but she’d been going for 3-4 days before I noticed (I’m almost 8 weeks pregnant... was not paying enough attention to the birds 3 weeks ago lol).

Little peep is hanging in there. I’ve got it in the top half of a water bottle, wrapped in a heating pad. Every once in a while it peeps.

 

[MGG]

it is, but it’s mostly this hen. She just sucks. She never goes into ‘lockdown’... she does really well for the first 2 weeks and then something happens and she just goes rogue. It’s happened 3-4 times now. I wasn’t planning on letting her sit again or ever, but she’d been going for 3-4 days before I noticed (I’m almost 8 weeks pregnant... was not paying enough attention to the birds 3 weeks ago lol).

Little peep is hanging in there. I’ve got it in the top half of a water bottle, wrapped in a heating pad. Every once in a while it peeps.

Aw, congrats on your soon to be new little one! Sounds like your little chick is doing great!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

this hen once sat on nothing for 3 months. She is the worst (she’s a silkie and not very smart lol). She’s my daughter’s bird.

Maybe I’ll just give her a fake egg and she’ll get bored eventually.

YOU NEED to break her or GIVE her away she is brooding her life away literally and NOT in control of her hormones that are causing it. DO you need tips on how to do this? Surely your daughter wants her pet hen healthy. Please let us know if you need tips for broody breaking, adopting, etc and include pics of your set up if you like.

She will NOT get bored and just quit she will keep on until she dies from malnutrition. She should not be eating layer feed if allowed to brood long term. Layer is for active layers. Consider using a flock raiser or grower with oyster shell on the side for more active layers.

Some SIlkie's I had would go broody every 3rd egg they laid regardless of whether I let them sit and hatch eggs and raise a clutch or just broke them. I bred Silkies for a few years and had a little Silkie army in the end. They weren't the bird for me... mostly because of the excess broodyness. Some ladies would only go broody twice a year or so and that's not excessive. Anyways, I truly DO get your frustration. (life is too short for stupid birds, no more SIlkies for me (to Silkies) We did have some that were very well rounded, even their laying ability... more breeders should aim for it, while sticking to the SOP.

Collecting eggs as soon as they are laid makes ZERO difference. As stated, they will brood air.

Not all Silkies have vaulted skulls. They are known as determined and stubborn truly... but they are fairly handicapped if put in a new environment once their crest has blinded them. They are not all created equal.

Maybe there is too much activity or flock dynamics going on for her to be successful? Nest hopping is a real problem. But broody's don;t go into lockdown like incubators... they still need to eat, poo, drink... Usually when they hear peeping they should be cued to sit tighter.

Feed store chicks adopted in the middle of the night, after a couple week of sitting is a good option IF you know she is capable or are prepared to raise them yourself.

If her eggs went missing then something stole or ate them... unless hen is actively seen doing it... she cannot be held accountable, especially if eggs get broken defending her nest from flock mates. Rats have been known to eat broody hens alive... they are in a trans like state.

Congrats on your next little one!