Cannibalism?

[TheOgdensmenagerie]

So I introduced a 3 week old chick into the coop. It had its own space to escape the hens incase they got to rough. The chick had been in the coop over a week already and today I went out to find only pretty much the legs of the chick in the middle of the coop.
Its a awful sight. Is this due to age difference? Or is this going to be a habit?

 

[PD-Riverman]

I am Sorry----it only takes one peck from a grown chicken to kill a chick----if it bleeds a little the chickens will eat it alive. I had enough of that some years back-----I Do Not Mix young with old. Some say they do not have any problems mixing and I say I don't have any problems not mixing either.

I had rather have to keep the chicks in a pen until they are gown if I had to so this does not happen.

 

[aart]

So I introduced a 3 week old chick into the coop. It had its own space to escape the hens incase they got to rough. The chick had been in the coop over a week already and today I went out to find only pretty much the legs of the chick in the middle of the coop.
Its a awful sight. Is this due to age difference? Or is this going to be a habit?

Everything was gone but the legs?
Bloody beaks on the older birds?

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm also wondering if it was killed/eaten by a predator, not the other chickens. But, either scenario is possible, especially if introducing a lone chick and it was locked in the coop with them over night with no way to escape.

 

[TheOgdensmenagerie]

I never found one of the adults with blood on their beaks. That's what got me on top of the fact so much of the bird was gone.
The chick could escape from the adults. I had a special pen set up that had a chick escape hole in muliple places. The chick coukd run in and out with no way of the adults get him once in his little pen. Sorry I dont think I explained that well in the og post.

 

[TheOgdensmenagerie]

Do you think maybe mice/rat would've done that after the adults killed it?

 

[lazy gardener]

I think a rat could have easily killed it and then done that. Or a weasel. Got any holes that you could push a quarter through? Look high and low. Either animal could be accessing your coop at night.

 

[TheOgdensmenagerie]

I have seen mice in there before. So it definitely could be a rat. I dont think we have weasels around here but I could be mistaken. Ill have to start looking for holes and fill them! Thanks for the help!

 

[lazy gardener]

Weasels live in all 48 states. They are secretive, so you may never see one, and not know there is one in the area until you see the damage done by one. A single weasel can kill an entire flock in a single night just for the fun of it. But your damage sounds more like rat.