Broody hen smashed baby? HELP!

[ckseals]

My hen has been brooding on some eggs for about three weeks now. Today, when I went to check on her, there were a ton of ants going in and out from under her.

There was a dead chick, fresh out of the shell...some pieces were still stuck to it...but it was smashed and clearly dead.

How does this happen? Is the hen just too dumb to get up? Did SHE kill her own baby? Is this possible?

What should I do? I know that the rest are about due. I work a full-time day job so I can't go out and check on her all the time. Will she continue to smother her babies? Or could it have been something else?

Advice please.
Thank you!

 

[DTchickens]

It is possible the chick just hatched and died, it is a case that happens sometimes; doubtful it was her fault, as for the dumb part- if it was past day 22 then pull the nest out of the pen. She's probably waiting for the other eggs to hatch and she is just wasting her time, most hens will leave anyway on day 22-23 or so. Chicks can survive a day without needing to eat or drink anything after hatch, but it would have still lived for a day or so afterward regardless of whether she moved or not.

God bless,
Daniel.