Missing chick?

[DenFlo]

Can anyone tell me, do hens eat their dead chicks? My hen was sat on 11 eggs. On the first day of hatching, two chicks appeared, one was fine, the other abandoned, but still alive in the corner of the coop. I put it underneath the hen hoping it was just cold. The next day, more had hatched, but one was missing - I can only assume it was the sick one. There was no trace of it, so is it likely that my hen had eaten it?

 

[CityKidChickens]

I don't think so, Are you chickens free ranged? I had a chick who was just put into the coop and was wandering around the yard with the hens and I went to put them in at night and it was gone. I looked for an hour till it got dark and then just hoped I would find her. I didn't. A few days later we were getting wood for a fire and it was stuck in the wood dead. I think that it chased something in there and got stuck. Chickens are curious creatures. If you hen did eat the chick then you would probably find a carcass or at least some bones. Or maybe a hawk or coyote got to it. I hope you find it. So sorry.

 

[CityKidChickens]

Oh, and welcome to BYC

 

[DenFlo]

Thanks. No they're not free ranging yet, they were in a co-op with a small run, no way a predator could have got it, no sign of any remains at all - total mystery!

 

[CityKidChickens]

Huh? Are there any places it could have gotten stuck. Maybe it was hidden under the mother and is still there. Maybe try to recount your chicks.

 

[lazy gardener]

What size chicken wire? If it was not 1/2", a predator could absolutely have gotten in to it. And I believe it would have been possible for the hen to eat it without any sign of remains.

 

[DenFlo]

The gaps between the bars is about half an inch. It's definitely not there, this was a couple of weeks ago so no chance of finding alive I'm afraid, I'm just curious as to what may have happened. Hen eating it was all I could think of but wasn't sure if this was likely - perhaps she did.