Frenchchickens123
New member
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2011
- Messages
- 145
- Reaction score
- 0
Hi, well my broody was sat on eggs due to hatch this week but wasn't sure when! She is with the rest of the flock in one of the nest boxes. So yesterday morning I went to let the chickens out and check on my broody. Well some of the eggs had hatched! Unfortunately some of the other females had got in there and was pecking one of the chicks. I removed the chick to find the leg was missing the skin completely! The other had a bit of skin missing underneath and one was missing, while one was still in the egg and just pipped. I took the two hatched injured chicks with me to put in a box and then go back to fetch the pipped egg. As I got outside I saw a chicken eating the missing chick!!! :-( when I returned to get the egg the chickens had actually pecked the shell away and the chick was not in it's shell anymore!
What a nightmare. I took the chick and put betadine where the belly button is as it had not healed and laced it on a bit of paper towel and put it under the heat lamp. The ones with skin missing, I put betadine on and wraped in bandage to keep it clean.
Today the chick which hatched too soon is walking around and the belly button bit has healed well. The on with a bit of skin missing under the wing is doing well too and seems to be healing. The one missing skin from it's entire leg apart from the claw up to the hock joint is sleeping a lot and it's foot is a bit swollen. I shall keep a close eye on it.
I have another broody sitting on 8 eggs which has been moved to an empty stable. I can't believe this has happened. My last two hatches with broodys were fine without problems with the other hens but this time obviously not.
I will never leave a broody again to hatch unles separated from the others. But like I said it's was a lesson well learnt and am still fairly new to chickens having only had them a year now.
I cannot believe how horrid hens can be!! Sorry for the rant but I am very upset and distressed about the fact my chicks are injured and only a day old and really kick myself for not having separated them sooner. I hope others who are new to this and read it will avoid the problem in the first place....
Now I can hopefully look forward to the next lot due in a couple of weeks
What a nightmare. I took the chick and put betadine where the belly button is as it had not healed and laced it on a bit of paper towel and put it under the heat lamp. The ones with skin missing, I put betadine on and wraped in bandage to keep it clean.
Today the chick which hatched too soon is walking around and the belly button bit has healed well. The on with a bit of skin missing under the wing is doing well too and seems to be healing. The one missing skin from it's entire leg apart from the claw up to the hock joint is sleeping a lot and it's foot is a bit swollen. I shall keep a close eye on it.
I have another broody sitting on 8 eggs which has been moved to an empty stable. I can't believe this has happened. My last two hatches with broodys were fine without problems with the other hens but this time obviously not.
I will never leave a broody again to hatch unles separated from the others. But like I said it's was a lesson well learnt and am still fairly new to chickens having only had them a year now.
I cannot believe how horrid hens can be!! Sorry for the rant but I am very upset and distressed about the fact my chicks are injured and only a day old and really kick myself for not having separated them sooner. I hope others who are new to this and read it will avoid the problem in the first place....
Now I can hopefully look forward to the next lot due in a couple of weeks
