Cannibaliistic Broody??? HELP PLEASE!!!!

[Garden Gal]

I just went out to check on one of my broody hens and found this egg - but NO baby!!! There is absolutely NO sign of anything other than the egg. IF mom ate the baby, she left NOTHING behind. I don't see any blood on the pine shavings, no blood on mom's beak or face, NOTHING! There was a huge (massive) pile of broody poop and the hen's bottom is GROSS - so I'm going to have to bathe her bottom at least - do you suggest I take warm water out to the coop or bring her into the garage and just cover the remaining eggs up and work as quickly as possible?

?????? HELP! ANY ideas?? She has five more eggs to hatch - I'm thinking of getting one of the incubators warmed up...

 

[HEChicken]

Is she separated from the rest of the flock? Is it possible another hen bothered the new chick?

The other thing that occurs to me is when my sister had a broody sitting on eggs, it turned out there were rats under the nest box and the rats got in and took all the eggs. I'm sure they would also be capable of taking a chick...

 

[Garden Gal]

She is seperated from the flock and is in a large brooder with another hen on the other side with a wire (1/4" hardware cloth) wall between. There is NO way the other hen could get to her; the brooder is covered with two wooden/screened heavy doors.

RATS?? I've never seen any signs of droppings in the coop and I look regularly, but I guess stranger things could happen. I've never even seen rats where we live - mice, voles, moles yes, but no rats so far. BUT - I'm sure they live everywhere.

So you don't think the mom would do this? Thank you for chiming in.

 

[Britney]

Did you check the shaving very well? I am sorry that happened before and I thought the very samething until I cleaned the brooder box and found the little chick dead burried in the shavings.

 

[Garden Gal]

Well I've checked high and low and didn't find the chick... I can only assume it was a snake - we do have those! Poor little guy!