Something Killed my broody hen and her two chicks

[twms99]

My hen was sitting on twelve eggs inside our coop. I had been waiting and checking on her everyday waiting on them to hatch. Wednesday morning I discovered one had hatched and then another chick a few hours later. On Thursday, I checked on her in the morning and everything was fine. When I came home that afternoon and went to check on them, I found her and her two chicks dead. Nothing appears to have been wrong with them. No blood or bites. She was upside down on top of the eggs and the chicks to the side. One egg was missing and another crushed. Her eggs were cold, so all her babies were dead. The only thing I had noticed previous to this event was I had gathered 4 or 5 eggs the day before and sit them in a chair under a shed while filling up my goat's watering bucket. I forgot them and when I came back that afternoon they were all gone. He had to be small enough to get into the coop. Would a snake kill the chicken?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What size opening?
Not likely a snake. More likely mink or weasel.

 

[adrianney]

This post is good reason for my husband to build our coop with smaller wire!

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry for your loss! Many predators are possible, including raccoons or possums, or a weasel. I plan on my broodies being in a separate coop, or a large dog crate in the coop. It's much safer for them.. Loosing chicks and a nice mama hen is the worst! Mary

 

[NorthmenFeather]

Weasel!

 

[Folly's place]

Your predator WILL RETURN, so beef everything up immediately, or you'll have more losses soon. Setting live traps at night will help too. Mary

 

[twms99]

Thanks!! My husband has already inspected and beefed everything up now so hopefully nothing else will happen! I have had chickens for 4 years and never had a problem before. I was just so upset they were just killed and then left. So possibly a weasel could have killed them. Do they steal eggs too!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A weasel will usually just kill without eating any meat.
A snake won't kill them unless it is planning on eating them. If a snake killed the chicks it would have done so by eating them. If there were any interaction with the hen and a snake, the hen would likely have killed the snake.
In fact, a snake can't kill a chicken unless it's poisonous.

My family has had chickens in this immediate area since the 1870s and we never had a mink attack. Until last summer when they killed 6 flocks in as many days.

Because it never happened doesn't mean it won't.