Missing chick

[Crazychickengirl2]

We had a broody hen but she was in the coop and 5/9 eggs went missing so we put and her baby’s in a cage in the coop and 4 baby’s hatched but 2 went missing so we put her in our brooder without the light and sat 2 eggs under her and on just hatched but it’s missing and there is absolutely NO way it could get out or something could have gotten it. I see the egg shell but no baby and I’m so confused could the mom be eating her baby’s?

 

[Crazychickengirl2]

But her crop is empty

 

[Crazychickengirl2]

That’s how tall the brooder is and they live in a garage and the door was closed

 

[Crazychickengirl2]

@Overo Mare could you @ some people who would know about this or if you know tell me something I’m just so confused and don’t know what to do!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I would bet good money a snake(s) is the source of the missing eggs and chicks. Snakes will eat eggs and chicks right from underneath broodies, and they can get into small areas you would never imagine they can access.

Is your broody still sitting on one egg? If so, I would bring her inside my house asap. After you do so, you can carefully sift through the bedding to see if you find any signs of a dead chick. I don't think your broody is eating her eggs and chicks; I 100% think it's snakes or possibly even rats. Snakes are relentless at my place. I don't have rodent issues because there are so many rat snakes and copperheads, but I take extreme measures to protect chicks, otherwise they would ALL be eaten.

 

[Crazychickengirl2]

I would bet good money a snake(s) is the source of the missing eggs and chicks. Snakes will eat eggs and chicks right from underneath broodies, and they can get into small areas you would never imagine they can access.

Is your broody still sitting on one egg? If so, I would bring her inside my house asap. After you do so, you can carefully sift through the bedding to see if you find any signs of a dead chick. I don't think your broody is eating her eggs and chicks; I 100% think it's snakes or possibly even rats. Snakes are relentless at my place. I don't have rodent issues because there are so many rat snakes and copperheads, but I take extreme measures to protect chicks, otherwise they would ALL be eaten.

But it’s been awhile since they went missing and this just happens so why would it just now happen again and why only one??

 

[Crazychickengirl2]

Why wouldn’t it eat them all?

 

[Crazychickengirl2]

And how would it get up there

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

How many are eaten at a time depends on how many big the snake is and how many snakes there are. Many 6 foot-plus rat snakes have found my hen's nest boxes through the years, and snakes that size eat 4 large eggs per day, every single day. I go to extreme lengths to protect broodies with chicks in extremely secure pens, yet nearly every year a snake manages to defeat my attempts and gains entrance and eats chicks. Just this year a rat snake gained entrance and ate 2 of 10 one-week-old chicks. We had flooding rains from the time those chicks were born, and just enough dirt washed out underneath the pen to allow the snake to slither underneath. (It was a 4-foot rat snake.) I never saw the snake at the time, but after I reinforced the ground barriers, the snake came back for another meal a week later. This time it didn't gain entrance, and I killed the snake. Can't be certain it was the same snake, but for reasons I won't list here, I'm nearly certain it was.)

In your photo, a snake could easily crawl up those table legs and into the brooder. Or at least "my" snakes definitely could. I'm sorry you and your broody are losing are losing eggs and chicks. IF an egg still exists and you want to keep your hen in your current brooder, I would Securely attach 1/2" hardware cloth over the top of the brooder, making sure there is no place a snake can wiggle in. And I do mean Securely. I once had a juvenile copperhead (still had yellow tail-tip) get under a pen where the opening was so small that the snake actually got snagged on 1/2" hardware cloth as it entered underneath. It bit/killed one chick, but could neither eat the chick nor escape because it was snagged. It was very angry at its predicament, and struck at me several times (while still snagged) before I killed it.

 

[Oob Child]

How many are eaten at a time depends on how many big the snake is and how many snakes there are. Many 6 foot-plus rat snakes have found my hen's nest boxes through the years, and snakes that size eat 4 large eggs per day, every single day. I go to extreme lengths to protect broodies with chicks in extremely secure pens, yet nearly every year a snake manages to defeat my attempts and gains entrance and eats chicks. Just this year a rat snake gained entrance and ate 2 of 10 one-week-old chicks. We had flooding rains from the time those chicks were born, and just enough dirt washed out underneath the pen to allow the snake to slither underneath. (It was a 4-foot rat snake.) I never saw the snake at the time, but after I reinforced the ground barriers, the snake came back for another meal a week later. This time it didn't gain entrance, and I killed the snake. Can't be certain it was the same snake, but for reasons I won't list here, I'm nearly certain it was.)

In your photo, a snake could easily crawl up those table legs and into the brooder. Or at least "my" snakes definitely could. I'm sorry you and your broody are losing are losing eggs and chicks. IF an egg still exists and you want to keep your hen in your current brooder, I would Securely attach 1/2" hardware cloth over the top of the brooder, making sure there is no place a snake can wiggle in. And I do mean Securely. I once had a juvenile copperhead (still had yellow tail-tip) get under a pen where the opening was so small that the snake actually got snagged on 1/2" hardware cloth as it entered underneath. It bit/killed one chick, but could neither eat the chick nor escape because it was snagged. It was very angry at its predicament, and struck at me several times (while still snagged) before I killed it.

I knew snakes were crazy.. but not THAT crazy. And I should know, I live in Australia! Thankfully, only coastal.
However, I do go into the country a lot and for most of the summer holidays. I have seen some pretty nutty snakes, but they seem too dumb to do that much.

However, there was once this snake that was somehow smart and dumb at the same time. A juvenile snake climbed in between/under the nesting boxes/shelves. It was genius. Got all the eggs as soon as they were laid and left almost no trace. In spring it seemed to know chicks were on the way, waited for them to hatch, then took the chicks straight about from under the broody. Probably the best I’ve ever seen a snake come up with.
The dumb thing was, it ate so much and grew so quickly it got stuck. It was an eastern brown snake! And the biggest one I have ever seen too! I ended up having to whack the thing with a shovel, because after I removed the nest boxes it kept trying to lunge at me. I really didn’t want to kill it, but I had to. Eastern Brown Snakes don’t really get that big, so it must’ve been super small when it crawled in there. The boxes were super close together too!

I don’t think snakes can get crazier than this. We lost over 100 eggs to it!