4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[SharonX]

My Sisters Sister-In-Law has 3 chickens and 1 was broody. She put a duckling egg that she got from her friend under her and she sat on it for a few weeks. On checking the duck egg the other morning the egg had hatched but there was no duckling to be found just a few feathers. Does this mean that the girls ate it? What should she have done differently?

This can't be normal behaviour when a chick has hatched so was it because instinct told them it wasn't a chick?

Just curious more than anything. Thanks

[stoice]

Could have been a rat?

[bronze]

More than likely that the ones that weren't 'mother' had it. Broodies and chicks are best seperated unless you have absolutely huge amounts of space and mum can keep her babies far away from the others.

[SharonX]

There isn't huge amounts of space as far as I know so they would have all been in together.

I know when one of my cats caught a mouse the girls had it off him and ate it. Same thing I suppose seeing it as food. Makes sense keeping them seperate!

What a shame though that she didn't check on what to do before venturing into something like that without proper knowledge.

[Egluntyne]

What a shame.

[Lewis]

I bet she was excited about getting a ducling aswell.

What a shock