Dead chicks and broken eggs

[Emma_Bruffy]

I had a broody hen and everything was going great. I had a baby hatch yesterday and it was gray with a black head. Then today a silver laced wyandotte hatched. She had 3 eggs left under her to hatch but when I got home today... the broody hen was on another nest and her old nest was empty apart from bloody shavings and egg shell peices with chick fluff everywhere. The broody hen was fine, but my question is, do you think it was a snake another chicken or some other predator?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Sorry for your loss ... Thinking it's a predator, not snake as they'd swallow whole & not leave a bloody trail. Hopefully it wasn't another chicken ... You may want to find a way to "protect" the broody on the nest from anything happening again, maybe enclose her area with wire, food/water with her. Your location would help to determine what other predator it maybe. Check around the coop to see if there's any signs of entry, or is the coop open?

 

[Emma_Bruffy]

Sorry for your loss ... Thinking it's a predator, not snake as they'd swallow whole & not leave a bloody trail. Hopefully it wasn't another chicken ... You may want to find a way to "protect" the broody on the nest from anything happening again, maybe enclose her area with wire, food/water with her. Your location would help to determine what other predator it maybe. Check around the coop to see if there's any signs of entry, or is the coop open?

There is a window with chicken wire over it and the door the chickens use to get into their open top run is open. It happened during the day and I'm borrowing some trail cams tommarow to get an answer. I live in central Virginia and my nesting boxes are elevated. Possibilities include coyote, raccoon, opossum, bear, snake, and more but sadly I have to include my own chickens to this list because they dont take to chicks that well

 

[ChickNanny13]

Cameras will help ... I live in Hawaii, we don't have that sort of predators although neighbor dogs & cats can be a problem and we do have mongoose and hawks. From what I've read on this site, it seems like raccoons a real problem, not sure opossums but I'm sure they go after eggs ... I'm leaning towards a raccoon and it will be back.

I hope it's not another chicken ... you may want to separate the broody with eggs or put a wire surround to protect her and nest. Best of wishes.