Mummas keep crushing their babies

[Cindymie]

Hi
First time chook mummies and first time for me hatching chicks under their mums.
I bought 12 fertilized eggs (shared between two mums) and they were going great. Day 21 I found two crushed bubs under mum and one live, healthy little bub. Later this bub was dead and flattened under mum. Soon to find more eggs crushed flat before or during hatching. Day 23, the second mum had a bub successfully hatch. When I saw bub, she was newly hatched and not walking yet. I came back about four hours later and she had disappeared.... it is possible she could have escaped through a hole in the fence. All other bubs have been crushed during the hatching process. We've taken the last two eggs, found one rotten and I'm hatching the other myself.

One chick out of 12. They have lots of space in their box. One has a 55L tub that is converted into a nesting box and the other has a small dog kennel which is a bit larger again. This is more than most brooding boxes, from what I've seen.

I'm breaking the chooks broody but just in case... why??????

 

[Willow2253]

Accidents happen sometimes, but it does seem odd to me that so many were crushed. Some things to consider: Are these both first time moms? Are the moms a larger breed than the babies? Could a predator have gotten to the one that went missing? There’s also unfortunately the possibility that the mom ate the missing chick. Chicks don’t usually leave their mom in the first few days so it’s odd that it’s gone without a trace.

 

[Rooster G]

Disappeared: probably hiding under mom’s wing.