Missing chick

[President_ChickenGirl]

I have a chick that hatched about a week and a half ago. After my chickens were closed up in the coop, I saw the chick eat and drink and then it went under mama. This morning, I went out and the chick was missing. I check thoroughly under both mamas and throughout the bedding. Our coop is secure, so I don’t think anything could have gotten in. We keep them in the coop, I have not let the chick outside yet. I will do a full clean out of the coop later today. Any ideas of what could have happened?

 

[SmiYa0126]

I have a chick that hatched about a week and a half ago. After my chickens were closed up in the coop, I saw the chick eat and drink and then it went under mama. This morning, I went out and the chick was missing. I check thoroughly under both mamas and throughout the bedding. Our coop is secure, so I don’t think anything could have gotten in. We keep them in the coop, I have not let the chick outside yet. I will do a full clean out of the coop later today. Any ideas of what could have happened?

Look for a tiny opening somewhere in your coop, do you see any blood anywhere?

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Can you provide a pic of your set up, inside and out? Sounds like you have a predator snatching issue. A snake, weasel can squeeze through a 1 in gap.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Any ideas of what could have happened?

Hopefully your chick will show up and you will never know what happened. Not likely but stranger things have happened.

The chick may have trapped itself somewhere in the coop and could not get back to the hen. It could have died from exposure.

The chick may have found a way outside the coop and away from the hen, they don't need much of an opening. Once it is outside about anything could have happened. May have died from exposure, been killed, or been eaten.

A predator may have gotten in the coop. About the only predator I can think of that would eat the chick without leaving some type of sign would be a snake or canine. About anything else would leave parts of the body or a bloody spot. I can't imagine a canine like a fox, coyote, or dog doing that if you consider the coop secure unless you give a dog access. A snake doesn't need much of a hole to get in the coop but once they swallow a chick they may have trouble getting back out of the same hole they came in. I caught a snake that way, it could not get back out of the brooder after swallowing a chick.

One possibility is that a human took it. They would not leave any signs. I can see a human taking an egg, some even do things like that for a practical joke, but I have trouble imagining a human taking one chick. Still, you asked what could have happened.

 

[Ominojacu]

I would check through the substrate really carefully. A dead chick gets trampled and quickly blends in, hopefully that’s not the case but a strong possibility

 

[President_ChickenGirl]

Hopefully your chick will show up and you will never know what happened. Not likely but stranger things have happened.

The chick may have trapped itself somewhere in the coop and could not get back to the hen. It could have died from exposure.

The chick may have found a way outside the coop and away from the hen, they don't need much of an opening. Once it is outside about anything could have happened. May have died from exposure, been killed, or been eaten.

A predator may have gotten in the coop. About the only predator I can think of that would eat the chick without leaving some type of sign would be a snake or canine. About anything else would leave parts of the body or a bloody spot. I can't imagine a canine like a fox, coyote, or dog doing that if you consider the coop secure unless you give a dog access. A snake doesn't need much of a hole to get in the coop but once they swallow a chick they may have trouble getting back out of the same hole they came in. I caught a snake that way, it could not get back out of the brooder after swallowing a chick.

One possibility is that a human took it. They would not leave any signs. I can see a human taking an egg, some even do things like that for a practical joke, but I have trouble imagining a human taking one chick. Still, you asked what could have happened.

Can you provide a pic of your set up, inside and out? Sounds like you have a predator snatching issue. A snake, weasel can squeeze through a 1 in gap.

We live in southeastern PA and don’t really get snakes, and I have never seen a weasel anywhere near where we live. We’ve never had predator issues before (we have a backyard coop btw). In case you were wondering everyone in the coop is a serama, as well as the chick. The coop has a very small door, so a canine would not have been able to get in. I keep my run secure and the coop is off the ground, so idk how a snake could have gotten in if that’s what happened, but I will check everything you guys said

 

[SmiYa0126]

What a conundrum!

 

[President_ChickenGirl]

We found it. It made its way behind the nesting box insert and couldn’t get back out. Thank you for your help and suggestions.

 

[WIchickMama]

We found it. It made its way behind the nesting box insert and couldn’t get back out. Thank you for your help and suggestions.

was it ok, still alive? hopefully yes and mama is taking care of it now

 

[SmiYa0126]

We found it. It made its way behind the nesting box insert and couldn’t get back out. Thank you for your help and suggestions.

Is it ok?!