I am so so so so disappointed.

[Standard Hen]

We have black racers and they are pretty big, I saw one once many years ago that looked to be about 4 ft long. I have never ever seen any snakes around my coops, would they come at night to eat them? I have a friend in town that has a zillion different kinds of poultry not in complete lockdown and she has never had this problem. Her broodys hatch everything. I called her yesterday and she said the only thing she could think of would be the hen ate them.

 

[tiffanyh]

Standard....rats too....they will clean up after themselves pretty nice.

WHy wait until next years? She might go broody again. Give her a month then throw some golf balls in there and see if she goes broody again!!

I would put her in a dog kennel or something different next time, separate from all the others. That is what I have to do--or I would have no eggs either!

 

[Farmer Kitty]

I know how you feel. I just had a hatch of 0 in my bator. It is a big let down when you don't even get one.

 

[Ese_N_Gracie]

Oh she'll go broody again...I feel once they have a taste for those hormones they want more

.....Gracie is dying to but I feel it's super hard on her...and I'm still enjoying the other chicks she has already gotten over.....It sounds like a snake esp if you have black racers...we have red racers and they are tenacious...burrowing deep holes holes into coops to get passt any wire!! Not that my kids ever see their coop....they have me well trained....but if I have to put them in there it is bound 360 degrees with fine mesh.....but they so much prefer my very expensive armchairs...and gracie got to brood in the livingroom in an easterbasket....handfed treats...I hope when I have a baby someone spoils me so...someday I'll get you pics of her and Ese being parents....I hope you get to be in the next month or two!!!!

 

[SpottedCrow]

I was gonna mention snakes, but it's still too cold right now for them...at least up here in New England...they like warmer temps than we've been having...

 

[Standard Hen]

Right Spotted, no snakes yet. I really think she ate them over the course of three weeks. But every time I looked in there she was just brooding away and I was so positive about not disturbing her because I was excited to finally have a broody that was going to have chicks I just left her alone. She was pretty secure in that little coop and my gut is telling me it was her that did the damage. Why I have no idea.