Need expert advice on hatch day, possible emergency!

[oneoftheflock4]

Hey all, need some timely advice. We’re at hatching due date, and I'm worried I may have messed things up for her eggs the other day by disturbing and cleaning her nest and pen area.

Her nest was smelling really bad in recent days and the other day when she was off her nest for a bit I thought I'd investigate and maybe clean up her crate to prepare for baby chicks. I found at the bottom of her nest was a broken egg mess with some foul bedding and some maggots on a few eggs eating the mess. Found the smell. It was disgusting and prompted me to do a thorough emergency clean of all the nesting materials and wiped the maggots off the shells.

I was gentle with handling the eggs but two things I wasn't aware of until after I did this was 1) not rotating the eggs close to their hatch date because chicks are getting g into their positions and 2) humidity needs. So I am worried I may not have moved the eggs back onto the sides as I found them and in cleaning their nest altered the humidity too much to where they might be too dry to hatch properly. The nest had been wet and gross underneath and I replaced the hay with all dry, in my inexperience thinking this was a better environment for chicks to hatch into. I had read some advice of course leading up to this but hadn't learned about these points.

After I cleaned her crate, her roo's were clearly upset with me and concerned, that's when I did more research and realized my mistakes.

So today (*yesterday now) is the big expecting day. They all seem to know and are waiting and guarding the process. I may be projecting but it seems like there is some nervousness or concern. It’s late afternoon and so far haven’t heard or seen any evidence of any chicks though hen has positioned herself differently and is making some quiet cooing noises like she's talking to her eggs.

Does anyone have any advice or thoughts regarding my interventions yesterday and if there is anything I need to look out for today and should do to help considering?

I will be so upset if I messed things up for her and these chicks by trying to help, things had been going really well.

Fyi, she has a large clutch too, and I haven't candaled them since confirming they were all fertilized after first week.

Thanks for reading and would appreciate any helpful advice asap!



**updates**
(Wednesday)
-After I cleaned the nest the day before yesterday things smelled much better. By last night, it was smelling pretty bad again.

-Clutch is due for hatching but so far haven’t heard any peeps or seen any chicks. I have heard a few instances of what sounded like pecking at egg shel. Also has sounded like hen is trying to softly communicate with chicks in eggs.

Last night before the roosting, her roosters didn’t want to leave her side and one entered her crate, mounted her on the nest, and kind of kicked her off her nest and then stood over her eggs for a moment. It was stressful but I got him to leave and was able to put her back on the nest for another night. Not sure if the chicks aren’t viable and they’re maybe trying to help encourage her to abandon or just missing her? Trying to figure out best course from here. From what I last saw eggs were all still intact, not much noise or action happening. I think its day 21 or 22.

The roosters might be a bit hormonally crazy rn because shes been busy for a few weeks and she’s their only hen. Was hoping to change that with this clutch!

Appreciate any advice, thanks y’all

 

[GodLovesU]

I don’t think there’s really much you can do at this point. I would maybe go back and double check that I got the hatching date right. I have calculated it wrong before and I think it messed the hatch up a little. just keep an eye on her and the eggs. If you have any that pip, but are t able to make it all the way out of the egg try to help them, but give them time to get out on their own.

 

[oneoftheflock4]

I don’t think there’s really much you can do at this point. I would maybe go back and double check that I got the hatching date right. I have calculated it wrong before and I think it messed the hatch up a little. just keep an eye on her and the eggs. If you have any that pip, but are t able to make it all the way out of the egg try to help them, but give them time to get out on their own.

Thanks for your reply and encouragement!

She’s still sitting as of now and I’m keeping her crate closed going forward to keep roosters out. We’ll see how things go today. I started counting from the first full day/night she started continuously sitting on the nest. Pretty sure we’re at day 21 or 22 based on that. Not giving up all hope yet

I might also post this in the hatch forum for more visability and delete the thread with less activity. Hope thats okay mods, still learning the rules here.