help! pip'd egg opened by predator or?

[PrettyCoolChicks]

So eggs have been disappearing from under mama broodie...
I started with 7, 3 appeared (laid by others) but also I had 4 of the good eggs remaining yesterday, and I am down to 3 today. No trace of anything so I was assuming snake was taking one per week.

I heard peeping this morning and checked for pips just now while broodie was on a break, only to find another good egg went missing since yesterday morning and this baby had been helped out of its shell too early.

I took it in and put it in the bator, put coconut oil on membrane (it was shrink wrapped so this may have happened this morning for the membrane to be this dry) and I plan on returning it to moma after it hatches but... that is no snake's business.

any ideas what could do this?

Moma is inexperienced but i've not seen her react to the peeping. She's just sitting on them when i check.

The other girls wanted to peck at where the sound came from in my hand so i've locked them out of the area with the nest.

Could it be a deer mouse? I'd expect the chick would be missing more than just the shell? I'm going to set traps can't hurt.

Any other ideas?

 

[WhiteCollarWeezy]

it makes sense that it could be a mouse. it may sneak under your hen and she thinks it is them hatching so she is unalarmed. Definitely not a snake or there would be no egg left. Careful with traps make sure mama doesn't get in them. any way to put something up around her to keep vermen out?

 

[WoDia]

@PrettyCoolChicks Take the chance and move mom and eggs to a safe and very secure location before anything else bad happens. Or, place all of the eggs into the incubator and give her some infertile ones to sit on while they hatch. Then slip the chicks under her at night and remove the infertile eggs. Otherwise, she may lose all of her chicks. If you choose option 2, make sure mom is in a safe location before you replace the eggs with chicks.

 

[PrettyCoolChicks]

it makes sense that it could be a mouse. it may sneak under your hen and she thinks it is them hatching so she is unalarmed. Definitely not a snake or there would be no egg left. Careful with traps make sure mama doesn't get in them. any way to put something up around her to keep vermen out?

Would a mouse remove the shell but not harm the chick? It finished hatching just now and looking it over, it does not have a single wound.

I only use the kind of traps to mice can enter but not leave, so no risk to any of the birds!

I'll see what I can do for extra protection but the coop is the most secure part of my entire house, I'm not sure there is a safer place. :/

 

[PrettyCoolChicks]

@PrettyCoolChicks Take the chance and move mom and eggs to a safe and very secure location before anything else bad happens. Or, place all of the eggs into the incubator and give her some infertile ones to sit on while they hatch. Then slip the chicks under her at night and remove the infertile eggs. Otherwise, she may lose all of her chicks. If you choose option 2, make sure mom is in a safe location before you replace the eggs with chicks.

mh, thanks, maybe doing a switcheroo is the best bet indeed while I figure out what the issue is and deal with it / add the appropriate protections.

 

[WhiteCollarWeezy]

Would a mouse remove the shell but not harm the chick? It finished hatching just now and looking it over, it does not have a single wound.

i have never experienced this before, although a mouse would be the only vermen that could trick momma hen. She may have thought that her chick was hatching until she sensed something else was in her clutch. And moving around under her that was not her offspring.

I only use the kind of traps to mice can enter but not leave, so no risk to any of the birds!

Thats great. I advise investing in a security camera for your coop.

I'll see what I can do for extra protection but the coop is the most secure part of my entire house, I'm not sure there is a safer place. :/

The safest place is with their mother. whether she is in the coop or you have taken her and the chicks into a brooder room or a safe place you feel comfortable with.