The last chicks?

The last broody hen is hatching her eggs (well, there’s one more broody in the coop, but she doesn’t have any eggs and I’m not letting her have any.  It’s too late for that).  They’re having a hard time too.

Shortly after Brown Bonnet hatched, I came in the morning to find the disgustingly distinctive smell of rotten egg.  This one had an exploded egg under her (so gross, but it happens – instead of growing a chick, it rots, and they’re keeping the eggs nice and hot…so boom!)

Now she has a raised dais of hay.  That’s bit dangerous because eggs can roll out and they won’t roll back uphill, and so can fresh chicks.  But she’s being very good and keeping everything in the bowl under her.  I’m checking on her often.

I had to clean her out, throw away her box, and I made her a thick bed of hay with an inviting dip in it to finish her brooding.  Then I had to get warm water and wash all of her eggs, robbing them one at a time, which were thick in poop and rotten exploded not-sibling.  One of them was just starting to hatch!  It stinks out there.

Later that egg was in trouble, shell broken, but the membrane dried and stuck over the chick’s face, glued to eyelid etc.   All but the little breathing beak covered (This is really the only time helping to peel the chick helps, and it’s still hit or miss).  I dampened it and peeled the membrane back (if you’re doing this at home, it can tear their skin if you don’t rehydrate the dried membrane), dampened and peeled, and it peeped vigorously and stuck out a little naked wing, so I was hopeful and left it to finish.  Later it was almost out but had the shell stuck to it (again) with the dried edge of the membrane.

It seems to have made it.  There’s at least one little brown one under her too, that also needed a little help.  And one perfectly unzipped eggshell came out this morning, so three, but I’ve only seen two.