Chicks dying suspiciously!

[ambidextrous]

Hi everyone,

I have a total of 4 laying hens and only one got broody, sitting on around 25 eggs laid by all of them. Around 18 hatched periodically with two or three hatching in a day and the remaining are still awaited. Initially, 5 chicks were with the mother then all of a sudden two chicks were found dead with head open and brain eaten off

I started collecting chicks to handle them in a homemade brooder. The mother allowed almost all of them except she made a fuss to take a couple of them. Two were born with a breathing problem and died eventually after a lot of efforts to save them.

Another couple chicks died similarly with heads ruptured before collecting them. And two grown ups died due to choking by eating something wrong. One seemed to be premature and died. Now, I have 9 healthy chicks growing and the out of the remaining eggs three hatched and another died by falling prey again.

What might be killing the chicks in this brutal way?

note: My other chicken have no access to brooder hen and chicks and they live in a chicken house with no access other than the door which needs manual effort to open..

 

[Lady of McCamley]

My guess is rats. You have a predator eating the chicks.

Are the heads totally gone? or just the tops?

Another predator that will eat chicks is a raccoon, but generally you come to a lot of carnage, and the mother likely attacked.

Rats love chicks. Sounds like you need to do some coop proofing.

On the other chicks, you have really stressed your mother by staggering that hatch. Normal hatch delays only about a day from first hatched to last. Did you set the eggs at the same time? Late chicks are rarely thrifty.

But look at coop proofing. You've got rats or even a snake.

My thoughts.
LofMc

 

[cmom]

So sorry for your losses. Do you have a camera you can put up. Best investment I made. One picture is worth a thousand words. At first I was curious at what predators would be roaming on my property especially at night. I was quite surprised. Good luck...

 

[FloorCandy]

Sounds like mice or rats to me. My guess is mice, I think rats would have eaten more of each one, but either one is possible.

 

[ambidextrous]

My guess is rats. You have a predator eating the chicks.

Are the heads totally gone? or just the tops?

Another predator that will eat chicks is a raccoon, but generally you come to a lot of carnage, and the mother likely attacked.

Rats love chicks. Sounds like you need to do some coop proofing.

On the other chicks, you have really stressed your mother by staggering that hatch. Normal hatch delays only about a day from first hatched to last. Did you set the eggs at the same time? Late chicks are rarely thrifty.

But look at coop proofing. You've got rats or even a snake.

My thoughts.
LofMc

Thanks a lot for the response. However the heads aren’t totally gone. It’s the tops. Looks like someone likes the brains only.

 

[ambidextrous]

So sorry for your losses. Do you have a camera you can put up. Best investment I made. One picture is worth a thousand words. At first I was curious at what predators would be roaming on my property especially at night. I was quite surprised. Good luck...

I think I’m gonna have to setup one soon

 

[Lady of McCamley]

With just the tops off, my guess is rats or mice.

Only way to know is the webcam.

Sorry for your losses. That is very frustrating...I know. :/

LofMc

 

[ambidextrous]

So sorry for your losses. Do you have a camera you can put up. Best investment I made. One picture is worth a thousand words. At first I was curious at what predators would be roaming on my property especially at night. I was quite surprised. Good luck...

With just the tops off, my guess is rats or mice.

Only way to know is the webcam.

Sorry for your losses. That is very frustrating...I know. :/

LofMc

I think I gotta find one soon... Out of the 22 hatched, I have recovered 12 and are in the brooder now, 6 were killed and 4 died naturally.

Thank you for the empathy. I think it is needed badly.

 

[cmom]

I have several cameras I've bought over the years. I'm always looking for cameras that have good nighttime pictures when the predators roam here. A coyote behind the coops. I have electric wires around the coops and pens and it knows they're there.

 

[ambidextrous]

I have several cameras I've bought over the years. I'm always looking for cameras that have good nighttime pictures when the predators roam here. A coyote behind the coops. I have electric wires around the coops and pens and it knows they're there.
View attachment 2323429

Wow... that’s some amazing setup you’ve got!!