What the heck. My hen killed her chick

[Maka]

Well this is basically what the title says. She ate her chicks head off. Sorry for the gruesome details but I’m so upset. She hatched the egg. Had been sitting on it for a while and here it is head gone dead in front of her.

So why did she do this? She was a first time mom.

Could I have done anything better? She was in a nursery by herself being a mom?

I took the rest of her eggs. None had pipped yet. So I will be incubating the rest.

What in the H-E double hockey sticks though.

 

[tlcmurphy]

I’m sorry that happened. I don’t hatch chicks, but I’m pretty sure folks in the know on BYC will tell you not to let her sit on eggs again.
Poor little baby, I hope you can hatch the others!

 

[Maka]

I’m sorry that happened. I don’t hatch chicks, but I’m pretty sure folks in the know on BYC will tell you not to let her sit on eggs again.
Poor little baby, I hope you can hatch the others!

Oh she is not mom material. I’m so upset because she went broody twice this year so we gave it a shot and this was the result.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Oh she is not mom material. I’m so upset because she went broody twice this year so we gave it a shot and this was the result.

You wouldn’t know until you try unfortunately

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Are you sure it was her? Is it possible a predator got in the coop?

 

[ChicNmom]

I have a hen that loves to sit on eggs. But she has killed a chick and another time tried to ween them off of her way to early.

So no more babies for her.

It's possible your hen felt the chick was defective. Or maybe she's just a lousy mother.

So sorry! I know that's tough to experience.

 

[Maka]

Are you sure it was her? Is it possible a predator got in the coop?

Not possible. I wish that was the answer. I would rather it be that.

 

[Maka]

I have a hen that loves to sit on eggs. But she has killed a chick and another time tried to ween them off of her way to early.

So no more babies for her.

It's possible your hen felt the chick was defective. Or maybe she's just a lousy mother.

So sorry! I know that's tough to experience.

I hope that was the case. But one is enough for me to just say no more for her. I have only ever had one defective chick out of all the ones I have hatched. So I would say the gene pool is good. But maybe this was another.

I’m so stinkin mad at her.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Not possible. I wish that was the answer. I would rather it be that.

Not even small mice? They do a lot more damage than one would expect

 

[Maka]

Not even small mice? They do a lot more damage than one would expect

I don’t think that was the case. The chick was laying directly in front of the hen.
I went in to check on her and there was nothing and about 10 mins later the chick was dead in front of her.

Also I live in a town that has a lot of feral cats ( no they can’t get in the coop) so mice are not really an issue around here.