Turkey chicks disappeared

[chickenannie]

I'm so bummed and sad about it. My RB turkey hen hatched 7 little ones, and over the past 2 weeks they ALL died.

She is bereft and running around crying and trying to steal other's chicks, but I"m wondering if she was not a good momma. The weird thing was, I had predator proofed her pen, and 3 of the dead chicks could not be found at all. Would she have eaten them??

I can't figure out where they possibly could have gone.

Anyone ever heard of this?

 

[Godsgrl]

I'm so sorry for your loss. It is so heartbreaking to lose chicks. Can your predator possibly be a snake? Again. I am so sorry.

 

[chickenannie]

Hmmm, I never thought of that. I've never seen a snake around here. ever.
Eww the thought of looking for a snake around the nest gives me the creeps!

 

[warcard]

By predator proof, I am guessing you mean hardware cloth? If it was just chicken wire with the one inch holes, the babies could have gotten out. They can get out the smallest hole, then can't figure out how to get back in, and run from the big bad human who is trying to help them

Or it could be snakes. Chickens do eat meat, found a stripped carcass over the winter in a pen stuck between a wall and the shelter. Anything dead is free game.

The dead but not gone, turkey poults do seem more susceptable to problems, as far as my experience goes. I like to keep mine off dirt as long as possible, then I watch them like a hawk and worm at the first sign of anything (then antibiotics if worming doesn't seem to help).