Chicks dying suspiciously!

[The Moonshiner]

I’d bet it’s the hen. Especially because she was sitting on so many eggs with staggered hatching. In the future I’d limit the amount of eggs to a dozen or less and don’t let other hens lay eggs in a nest once a hen starts acting broody. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Agree 100%
Ive had a rat problem before and they killed and ate from the other end.

 

[cmom]

I have some chicks almost a month old still in a large brooder. I'm in the process of moving birds around and cleaning coops as I go. I have used melon boxes I get at the grocery store. They work great. I do put some wire over the tops to keep the chicks in and anything else out. I do have a chick/grow-out coop. Right now it has some of the grow-out in them. Need to get them moved out and cleaned so I can move the chicks. I leave the chicks in for a few days with their night light. They get used to it as their safe place, then I open their pop door and let them out into their pens.

 

[cmom]

I had a hen sitting on 18 eggs. I gave her 6, but left her in the coop and when she would get off to eat, drink and poop other birds would lay their eggs. I ended up taking the eggs and putting the in the incubator. I usually put 6/8 eggs under a broody if I'm going to let her incubate and hatch.

 

[cmom]

My chick grow-out coop is rat proof. Nothing gets into it.