Chick disappeared?

[Mdwilson]

I'm trying to figure out what happened to one of my chicks. We had a hen that hatched 3 chicks a few days before my husband and I left for vacation. Not exactly ideal, but our niece was keeping the animals for us. We got back in late last night and the chicks were already under mama so I didn't get to check on them until this morning, and one of the chicks was just gone. We checked with our niece and she said all 3 were fine yesterday. These chicks are in their own enclosure with the mama, a coop with a nest where they go to sleep and a small enclosed run, about 4 feet by 4 feet. There is half inch chicken wire all the way around and over the top. We checked the wire and it's secure, checked the perimeter and there are no holes dug underneath the pen. We took out the nest and sifted through the nesting material. We moved the ramp going up to the coop and the chick wasn't under it either. Now I will say, when the eggs first hatched one of them seemed off, not very active, kept lying down, fell on its side at one point and couldn't get itself back up so we had to turn it over. What struck me as odd about this was that the mama wasn't very protective when we reached in for her chick. She didn't react at all at first, then she fluffed her wings and walked towards us but never even pecked. We worried about this chick not making it but by the time we left the activity level was normal, the chick was keeping up with the other 2. I'm assuming this is the chick that's gone but I'm really not sure. And if it did die where did its body go in a day?

 

[silkiemother]

is she hiding somewhere?Because small chicks can fit through chicken wire

 

[Mdwilson]

is she hiding somewhere?Because small chicks can fit through chicken wire

Not that I can tell. We've checked all the places I can think of that the chick could have gotten to. I really don't think the chick could have gotten through this wire. It's half inch squares and they're stiff. I've seen chicks get through regular chicken wire but I haven't had that with this particular wire.

 

[silkiemother]

check in the places you do not think where she might be you would be surprised

 

[silkiemother]

what kind of chicks are they?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Do you have a cat or a dog ? they will eat small chicks

 

[Mdwilson]

what kind of chicks are they?

Dominique

 

[Mdwilson]

Do you have a cat or a dog ? they will eat small chicks

I do but the cats stay inside. The dogs are too large to get into the enclosure

 

[Mdwilson]

Well I found the chicks body. I guess with them kicking up dirt it got buried. When I went out again the wing had been uncovered. :'(

 

[Shorty22366]

One of my chicks got out of small hardware cloth. I have no ideal how it got out but it did.