We have a clutch of eggs on the verge of hatching.  We came home today to find one hatched chick dead, so sad!  It was in the nest, squashed flat by mamma hen.  This is our first attempt at hatching and the hen doesn't seem to know what's up either--her first time, too.

Anyone have some advice on how to go about this?  We plan to check frequently, but are afraid to remove the eggs or the hen from the nest, as we don't have an incubator.  The hen is in a smaller coop, separate from the rest of the flock, and there are ten more eggs.  We candled them a while ago and they all looked viable.

Appreciate any tips! Thanks so much!!

You need to be a member of AZ Herb Forum to add comments!

Join AZ Herb Forum

Email me when people reply –

Replies

  • Update, Sunday morning...

    At an early morning check, one more egg was starting to hatch.  The hen was pecking at the egg, making a hole in the egg and hurting the chick inside.  We took the egg away and the chick is now fully out of the egg and has a wound on its back about half the size of a dime. It's still wet, but chirping quite a bit and moving. We have a brooder, but rigged something a bit smaller for now and are keeping watch over the new nursery.

    Can't help but be angry and frustrated with mom hen, who now seems to be a threat to her own babies.  Is this normal chicken behavior?  Advice?

    • Unfortunately there are some hens who will attack their own chicks.  If this is the case for your hen, it would be wise to move the eggs to a safe place to finish hatching. 

      Remembering which hen is a bad mother and not letting her hatch another clutch is a good future option.

      Best of luck and I'm sorry you have a hen that behaves in this manner.  It happens.  It's definitely not fun though.

  • I let my hens hatch their own eggs because I prefer it to brooding them myself.  I think the babies are healthier in the long run and they get out in the yard much sooner--mom knows what to do to keep them warm and protected.  However, it does come at the cost of losing some of the chicks.  Deaths are due to an inexperienced hen, an accident, or an attack by another bird.  In my experience, if you are going to let the hens brood their own babies, you have to accept that there will be some losses--even while taking every reasonable precaution to keep them protected, which it sounds like you are doing.  If it were me, I would let mom hen continue to brood, and if all goes well, the one chick will be the only loss.  I know this may not have been what you wanted to hear, but I hope it helps.

    • Update Thursday morning...

      We have four happy little chicks!  We lost two (that first one and then another was discovered dead in the run), so the hatch was six out of eleven eggs.  Mom was clueless, so we had to take over after the chicks pipped. So we have...

      1. Una--she was first to hatch. Her wound is healing well.
      2. Shelley--she got glued into her shell and had to be unstuck with warm water.
      3. Charm--she was the only one who had a text-book hatch--third time's the charm.
      4. Caboose--she was a bit behind the others and exhausted--wouldn't have made it without help.

      They are all doing well, wing feathers just emerging.  It was an amazing first-time experience and our 14-year old was awed!  The wonder was well worth the work and worry.  We'd do it again, but I'd like to find a good mama hen first!

    • Thanks, I feel a little better.  Still anxious for the other chicks.  Losing a feathered friend is always a heartache and I just want to do everything I can to swing things in a positive direction.  Appreciate the advice! I'll let you know how things progress.

    • I know how you feel.  As much as I may sound casual about the losses, I hate finding the bodies (old or young).  I always get excited seeing the new chicks (and ducklings, as I have a variety of birds) and feel very sad when I realize one has died.

      Keep us posted on the progress.  Mom hen should figure it out :]

This reply was deleted.