Disaster!
We had an 'unplanned' broody sitting on eggs. We lost the hen and found her sitting on a clutch of eleven eggs, out on the lane, in the hedgerow. Moved mum and clutch into the stock trailer ... the only safe place we had available. She is a bit 'dopey'. An araucana x Friesian x Pekin. A very 'strange looking little hen but lays lovely little blue eggs. Determined to sit her clutch but pooping on the eggs and so we have been taking her off for food, water, to empty herself and for us to clean any dirty eggs.
I'm always really careful and well aware of the possibility of eggs getting stuck to the broody. Horrified after lifting her off the nest on Monday to hear a 'crack'! Looked down and there was the egg ..... cracked on the trailer floor!
The round end of the egg was cracked all over .... like you had tapped it all over with a spoon. Part of the shell was missing in a couple of places but the membrane pretty much intact. Few drops of blood seeping through the shell.
Remembered that my daughter had talked about an article she had read about people 'gluing' cracked hatching eggs and dashed indoors. Hubbie applied a generous layer of super glue.
Popped egg back under mum, thinking that would be that and I had killed the chick.
Felt really guilty. Tuesday ... the egg did not look good and was squashed quite flat but daughter runs in really excited ..... the egg was cheeping! Wednesday ... lifted hen off to find 4 chicks and the cracked egg now really squashed but with a leg and wing sticking out but the membrane dry, hard and of course 'super-glued'!!!!! Another dash indoors and hubbie picked the poor thing out. Chick looked exhausted and tummy not completely sealed but not bleeding. Feared the worst but popped back under mum .... sooner it die there than alone in a brooder.
Sunday ...... Chick alive and kicking and can't distinguish from the rest.
Life triumphs against the odds. Sorry for the long story but wanted to share the happy ending.
Topic: Whoops ..... I dropped it! (Read 5099 times)
