HELP! One egg left under mom

[squidomelet]

So we have had quite a staggered hatch. First one hatched last Friday, #2 on Saturday, #3 on Monday, and #4 on Tuesday. Mom is a Silkie Showgirl and she has been incredible through it all, however today she has decided that it is time to teach the others how to scratch and has been getting up off the egg a fair bit. The egg is peeping (checked it twice today and heard it last night too) so it’s only a matter of time. No external pip yet. I just put a blanket on the pen to see if she would turn down and it seems to have helped.

I don’t have an incubator on hand but could borrow from a neighbour later this eve when she gets home from work, but, I don’t believe that would give much time for it to come to required temp.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what I should do in my situation if mom continues to attempt to leave the egg unattended? She is trying so hard to multitask but gets distracted where the other chicks have become so active. Poor egg has been getting moved around a lot.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

So we have had quite a staggered hatch. First one hatched last Friday, #2 on Saturday, #3 on Monday, and #4 on Tuesday. Mom is a Silkie Showgirl and she has been incredible through it all, however today she has decided that it is time to teach the others how to scratch and has been getting up off the egg a fair bit. The egg is peeping (checked it twice today and heard it last night too) so it’s only a matter of time. No external pip yet. I just put a blanket on the pen to see if she would turn down and it seems to have helped.

I don’t have an incubator on hand but could borrow from a neighbour later this eve when she gets home from work, but, I don’t believe that would give much time for it to come to required temp.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what I should do in my situation if mom continues to attempt to leave the egg unattended? She is trying so hard to multitask but gets distracted where the other chicks have become so active. Poor egg has been getting moved around a lot.

you could make a safety pip, and maybe you should borrow that incubator if you can.

 

[ChknLadyBawk]

Perhaps remove the oldest chicks to a brooder, see if she'll dedicate her time to the egg then. If she's agitated by removing the chicks, though, and doesn't got back to the egg, you'll have to put them back. Do you have an electric or gas stove? If you have a gas one, try putting the unhatched egg on the warm part above the pilot light. You could put a washcloth in the bottom of a glass jar and put the egg on top. I have not tried any of these methods (I only warmed up a nearly-drowned mouse on the stove) but it's worth a shot. And it's only until you get that incubator and get it warm.

 

[squidomelet]

Thanks guys! She’s settled down now thankfully. Having a blanket darken the pen a bit and putting down the blinds seems to have done the trick. I also added a cardboard partition in the pen to sequester her and everyone to one corner of the pen so she doesn’t have much room to move around even if she does get up. Fingers crossed!! Hopeful the little peep will have the energy to pip externally now that it’s not being rolled around plus inconsistent heat.

I also lowered the temperature in the room a bit so that the chicks would want to go cuddle up under mom instead of being out and about so much. Seems to be doing the trick!

 

[squidomelet]

The little peep made it!! That brings us to 7 days past the first hatch for the final hatch. So proud of mom for sitting for so long!

 

[ChknLadyBawk]

Yay! I'm so happy for you!