Oh Noooo! Tragedy in the nest again. We have lost another baby :-(
I am gutted. It is very very sad especially that they are so much more developed now. They have nervous systems and hearts that stop beating.
So what happened? We decided that this last week would have to be spent as undisturbed as possible. I know that the eggs need to be in the same position from three days prior to hatching so I will not move hammond for those last days, or candle any eggs.
So to get ready for this final week, we decided to move the broody coop to a shadier spot (and less busy from peeping children) and to do a final lawn mow under the coop so that it can be left until after the crucial time. I have all kinds of worries about chicks with splayed legs, cats, foxes, too much cun, too little sun etc. And obviously the coop is so much smaller than the big shed that Hammond can do very little to regulate or manage her surroundings.
Anyway, I went to get hammond and the eggs out before moving the coop and one had a massive crack in. And the membrane was broken so there was not even any chance that the chick had survived. There was yolk on one of the other eggs - I have no idea what had happened. I removed the broken egg, but did not wash the yolk off for fear of interferring or spreading bacteria (because it is much more risky when they are wet).
The chick inside was so well developed compared to the last one. It had feathers, a beak, claws, and little wings. I am indeed, a very sad lady today.
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