--A nestling falls out of the nest the first few days. When this happens
pick up the young bird and warm it in your hands for a few minutes and
then, if it is alive, place it back in the nest.
--One or more of the eggs do not hatch, though fertile. Sometimes a chick
is too weak to pick through the shell which may be unusually hard due to
excessive dryness if the hen does not bathe. Should many of the eggs
turn out this way, put a few teaspoonfuls of common salt, or even rock
salt in the bottom of the nest pan, below the lining, as this will
attract (and retain) moisture from the air. There are many other reasons
why fertile eggs do not hatch, most of them indicating a weakness in the
embryo. However, one of the most common causes is chilling of the eggs
due to the hen leaving the nest for too long a time. A sudden cold spell
may have the same effect.
--One or more of the hatchlings are found dead in the nest. Remove at
once. Accidental smothering or crushing by the hen is likely the cause,
or if the eggs hatch out over a period of two or three days, the first
hatchlings may be getting practically all the food. That is why you
should remove the first two eggs, so that all hatch as nearly as
possible at the same time.
--The hen you are expecting to lay again is found crouching in a corner
of the cage, trembling and quite apparently in severe pain. She is
probably suffering from egg-binding, and must be attended to at once.
Take the hen very gently in your hand, and put three or four drops of
olive oil in her beak. Carefully place her back in the cage, and after a
short time the egg will be passed safely.
--The "sweating hen" problem occurs. Her breast feathers will have a
moist appearance leading one to believe that she is sweating. What
actually happens is that the hen loses condition, probably as the result
of eating food that is sour, stale, or too sloppy, and this is passed on
to the baby chicks. Diarrhoea results. Normally during the first week or
so, the excreta from the young is expelled in a tiny transparent bag
which the hen picks up in one piece when cleaning the nest. Being unable
to do this if the young have diarrhoea, her feathers become sticky and
matted.
--The hen starts picking feathers from the backs of the Round One chicks
to provide nesting for the second nest even though ample nesting
material is supplied. When this happens separate the cock and the chicks
from the hen, using the wire partition.