I have a mama hen and her chicks in a "brooder cabinet." It's like a kitchen cabinet (sitting on the floor of the coop) with a door that opens & an adjacent area that is cut out and covered with chicken wire. It is essentially a cage with a solid top and a cabinet door. Nifty recycling. The door to this brooder shuts, but doesn't lock. (We fixed the lock this morning...)
Anyway, the hen was sitting with her 7 chicks last evening & this morning, there are only six! There is no evidence of a murder inside this cabinet, nor did we find the chick or any blood outside the cabinet in the coop.
This is what I NEED TO KNOW: Do hens eat their chicks? If this baby somehow got out of the cabinet & was devoured by the flock, I can understand and accept this. As I indicated, we fixed the clasp on the door. However, I am hoping to find out if anyone has had a problem with a hen eating her own. We are considering brooding these chickies without mom, if this is a possibility.
Thanks!
**** Read on: I found that mama was not the issue....
Anyway, the hen was sitting with her 7 chicks last evening & this morning, there are only six! There is no evidence of a murder inside this cabinet, nor did we find the chick or any blood outside the cabinet in the coop.
This is what I NEED TO KNOW: Do hens eat their chicks? If this baby somehow got out of the cabinet & was devoured by the flock, I can understand and accept this. As I indicated, we fixed the clasp on the door. However, I am hoping to find out if anyone has had a problem with a hen eating her own. We are considering brooding these chickies without mom, if this is a possibility.
Thanks!
**** Read on: I found that mama was not the issue....
Last edited: