Missing Chick?

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JHek

JHek

In the Brooder
5 Years
Mar 23, 2014
51
0
39
Western Australia
I have a broody hen on a number of eggs, she's quite an aggressive hen so we don't get to check the eggs so we just let nature take its course.

We witnessed one egg pip yesterday morning and it was chirping through the gap before we left for the day. I've checked again this morning while mum was out and there is no sign of this egg or a chick. I tried to check all the eggs and couldn't find any with a hole. I also couldn't find a dead chick or any remnants of its egg!

I need some advice on what to do if mum is homicidal as we currently don't have an incubator and the eggs are all at different stages (some aren't hers).
 
Hi there,
Is it possible you had a predator in there?? something that would like a chirping chick to snack on? I have heard of homicidal hens who kill offspring if there is something seriously wrong with it.......but never eating it afterwards........let us know what you find out please!
 
It's quite unlikely where we are, there's only one cat that used to jump our fence but stopped after I bought the place and moved my dog in. The broody hen was in with the rest of our flock but we separated them yesterday. We also found what looked like dried yolk on the face of one of our other hens but there was very little so it was hard to tell.
 
So this morning I went to check on our broody, we've been concerned maybe she was coming off being broody and this morning confirmed it. Cold eggs, poop in the nest and disinterested in my handling the eggs. One had pipped and I put her back in the box near them to see what she would do and within seconds she was pecking the chick through the hole to the point it was being flung around and dropped on other eggs. The chick was chirping so loud I took it off her and she didn't go back on the eggs all day.

We have found a substitute broody and the little one who piped has hatched and is all fluffed up =)
400

We think it's a cross between our white silkie roo and gold lace wyandotte.
 
Sounds like your broody ate the chick. I don't know why but sometimes I think they think the chicks are mice....
they will eat the shell and all too. Keep an eye on her or the other hen for the bad habit of eating eggs since now
they may have 'learned' to associate eggs with a full crop. I wouldn't let that one hen brood ever again.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the advice, I have to say I agree with you. We've put the original broody in with the rest of the flock and borrowed a broody from a friend. Fingers crossed for this one.
 

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