No trace at all...

[Crs1]

of two chicks that were hatched last night
They were in the coop when we closed it up but they weren’t there this morning.
Would the chickens eat them?
Momma hen is still in momma mode. She had found another nest and was sitting on the eggs. I moved her in to an 8x8 by herself because if she is the one the killed the chicks I don’t want her to try again.
What should I do?
Thanks
Connie

 

[AuntieWeasel]

I had one vanish like that. I picked it up on the security cam leaving the nest (um, yes...I had a camera in the nest box) and an hour later, she had vanished without a trace. The only thing I could think is that she was so small (she was the runt of the hatching) that she somehow found a little gap to squeeze herself out through and got taken by something, but I honestly couldn't find a gap I thought was big enough.

That said, if yours were in the run with other adult chickens, that is a bit risky.

 

[Crs1]

Yes I know but when I tried to move her when she went broody she was hysterical. So I left here
The next broody I am going to move her as soon as possible to an enclosed cage and see if she settles down then get eggs and put under her

 

[chickens really]

If hatching in with the flock the chances are high that others ate them..If Coop isn't secure possibly a predator got them or hidden dead under bedding?

 

[AuntieWeasel]

Heh, yes. The one time I let a broody sit on eggs, I had to move all the other chickens because she was having none of it. I tried moving her eggs to a new location, but she kept stubbornly going back to the old nestbox to sit on nothing.

 

[ShannonR]

Yes I know but when I tried to move her when she went broody she was hysterical. So I left here
The next broody I am going to move her as soon as possible to an enclosed cage and see if she settles down then get eggs and put under her

Move the broody and the nest at the same time, not broody first then eggs.

 

[50-45-1]

Newly hatched chicks are very small and vunerable.
The chickens may have eaten them. If you have ever seen chickens chasing killing and eating a small mouse, this is a possibility.
Also if your coop is not secure it could possibly be a rat or a snake took them.
As already stated they may still be in the coop, dead under the bedding. There may have been a commotion, and the mama hen could not defend them. They may have been trompled.
Sorry for the loss.

 

[Crs1]

I have tried moving hen and eggs before and the hen gets so agitated I fear for the eggs getting cracked open

 

[Folly's place]

It's best to move the broody and her eggs in the night time!
What (usually!) works here; during the day, we set up a large pet airline crate in the corner of the coop, with bedding, Flock Raiser, and water. When the broody is really committed to her eggs (three days and nights, or so) we go in at night, with a very small flashlight, and move her and her eggs, and some of her own nest, into the back corner of the cage. Then, we creep away. In the morning, she may want to come out, and she stays locked in. If she gives up, she will be all over the crate, never on the nest, and may bury or break eggs. Most often she will decide to stay on her nest, which is now safe from the other chickens. Once daily I replenish her food and water, and scoop out the big 'broody poo' that's in the cage. It's important to not disturb mama! Less cleaning is better than offending the broody hen in any way.
Some crate doors have wire openings too big to keep tiny chicks inside, and duct tape over the lower couple of inches of the wire door will manage that. babies who get out without mama often are killed.
It's best to be able to isolate the broody without moving her, but often that's not possible, so this is a good alternative.
Mary

 

[ShannonR]

I have tried moving hen and eggs before and the hen gets so agitated I fear for the eggs getting cracked open

Better than the alternatives sometimes.