3 out of 8 eggs given to a broody hen vanished after two week!

[chickens802]

Hi,
A week ago or so I gave one of my broody hens a clutch of 8 eggs. This is my first time hatching eggs with a broody hen. I am letting her stay in the coop in the nest box she chose to hatch her chicks. She conveniently chose the nest box that none of the others use. I figured out real quick that she gets very unhappy when I try and check under her daily for any new eggs, which is what I did for the first week. During that week I check every day and not once was there a new egg under her. So I decided I would just check once weekly. Today is day 12 and I just went in to check under her for new and to candle for the first time and there were no new eggs under her but 3 out of the 8 I gave her were gone! This leaves her with only 5 eggs which are all developing beautifully


Does anyone know what happened to the missing three? Did momma hen eat them?!

 

[azygous]

Unlikely the hen ate them. But snakes and other slinky sneaky wildlife can and do sneak into coops and steal eggs. How secure is your coop? Are your temps warm enough for snakes to venture out of their winter dens?

 

[chickens802]

I live in Northern Vermont and we have basically every chicken predator there is. However, we don't have many snakes...the most common is Gardner snakes but there pretty small around here. It is still pretty cold here temps range from single digits at night to around 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit during the day but some days it has been as warm as in the 60s. I have an electrified wooden fenced-in area (not covered) with 1/2" hardwire mesh that the girls have access to all day long. They also have an 8x10 coop and an 8x6 run placed in the center of the fenced-in area. The hardwire mesh is skirted out at the bottom to prevent any digging predators. The coop also has an electric door which I have programmed to close and open 60 minutes before and after sunrise and sunset.

 

[azygous]

Sounds like the possibility of a sneaky snake is of low probability. That leaves a sneaky egg eating chicken. Be a Sherlock and investigate. Look for tell tale signs of egg yolk on the ground near the broody nest. Look for bits of egg shell. Look the hens over for yolk stains on beak and face fluff and feet. Breaking open an egg and eating it often leaves evidence on the sneaky thieving party. You may catch the sneaky thief with egg on her face.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I would place a game camera inside the coop to film her nest box. If any more eggs disappear, you will know the culprit.

 

[chickens802]

Alright I will do some investigating. Thanks for the input.

 

[chickfused]

Following.

 

[chickens802]

UPDATE: Yesterday was hatch day (day 21) and I found that another egg had gone missing! However this time there was evidence, there was dried on yolk on 3 out of the 4 remaining eggs but there were no shells or any other evidence. Last night around dark I couldn't resist and I decided to examine the remaining eggs.

One I found had a circular spot of cracking like what you would see when you go to crack an egg to eat, and a line crack coming off of it. The other 3 showed no signs of cracking that I could see.

This morning when I was doing coop chores one of my other hens flew up onto the nest with the mom (Now named Momma Patty). At first, she was just clinging to the edge and pecking at the bedding in the front. Then she reaches over to the back of Momma Patty and started pecking there. At that point, I had had enough and kicked her out of the coop.

I am not sure that she was going for the eggs but I think it could be likely. I am not sure that the cracked egg was cracked because of a hatching chick I think it is likely that it was the other hen or a lack of bedding maybe. Momma Patty does not seem to like having a lot of bedding under her. I use nesting pads made of a fake straw mat I buy them on amazon. Momma Patty tore through the nesting pad in the box on the very first day when she was making her nest and threw most of it out onto the floor. Every time I check on her I try to add more bedding but it is almost all gone or pushed to the sides by the time I get back to her.

This morning there were no signs of progress that I could see.

A thought has just know occurred to me, was it bad for me to mess with the eggs yesterday if they are close to hatch. I do know that Momma Patty was off her nest around 4:30 pm yesterday... Do broody hens stop getting off their nests when hatching is starting? She is a first-time momma, however.

When do you think it would be a good idea to abandon the eggs? I was thinking that if they don't end up hatching I could get a few chicks from my local feed store to put under her. Should I try candling the eggs again... I was thinking I might tomorrow night if there are still no signs of progress but again is it bad to handle/turn the eggs if the chick is ready to hatch?

Thanks so much for reading, BYC is always my first stop for any chicken questions I have. Any advice is extremely appreciated.

 

[azygous]

I've been hoping for some solution to your mmysterious egg disappearances. It makes more sense that a renegade hen is stealing them to eat.

Handing the eggs with care shouldn't cause a problem for embryos inside. Dropping or causing a sharp impact to the eggs will cause injury to the chick inside, though. Close to hatch, you will hear peeping from viable eggs, and they may even move on their own from the chick repositioning itself to start the pip.

 

[chickens802]

Ok thanks, it makes me feel a lot better knowing that I did harm them by picking them up.
Do you think I should try candling?

Ps. Do you have a coop page... I see the one in your profile pic and it looks a lot like want I would like to build.