Egg sucking snake?

Day before yesterday my goat was bitten and killed by a rattlesnake. javascript:insert_text(' ',%20'');The have a large yard within which is the chicken coop, near the goat house and my house.

This morning I was headed outside to feed the chickens and let my poor lonely remaining goat out and of course scanning for snakes and spotted one coming out from the front area (kind of a dirt porch area with a watersoftener) so called the nearest strong guy and watched snake from window. We got snake, it seemed to be headed towards chicken coop. It was already half in goat pen.

Then my friend says that when she was a kid her grandma said that snakes would come and suck the chicken eggs. I had never heard anything like this. Maybe eat them whole, but not suck them.

So now I start thinking back to the last 3 weeks or so. I have been finding eggs with the top half gone and the insides gone, just thought one of the girls started eating eggs. I found my lead hen dead in the doorway of the coop one evening could not figure out what happened. Kept finding eggs with smallis holes in the top that were empty, and ones that had cracks int he top, just thought I did not have enough shavings in the nests. Another hen, one that was always very broody was acting very sick, thought she was egg bound. Took her to the vet they said no egg, she did not make it.

So now I am putting this all together thinking maybe this darn rattler has been maruading my hen house for weeks and my hen was trying to stop it and my goat was just curious. I had never heard of this egg sucking! If I had I might have saved my poor goat by staking out this snake! Has anyone heard anything like this? Or is this an old wives tale and just a coincidence?
Thanks for your help.
Lorna

Like you, I have heard of it but assumed it was a wive's tale.

I'll admit I never heard of an egg sucking snake before. The way they eat, I would not think they could create the required suction.

Considering the cracked eggs, you might set some traps for rats. It would not surprise me that the snake was following rats or mice to your coop.

Snakes are incapable of sucking anything. I'd blame rats for empty shells a looooooong time before snakes.

I have seen no signs of rats or mice, there are a few ground squirrels around but they want the feed. I now realize it is most likely not the chickens as it is always the small end of the egg and the chickens would just peck it anywhere.

The cracks are very subtle and the holes are mostly dime to quarter sized.
I wonder if it could be trying to swallow it and then just kinda drinks it?
Maybe I am crazy, but it sure would explain a lot and today every single egg I pulled out after killing the evil snake was whole and had no cracks.

Well any insight is appreciated. Thanks!
Lorna

Snakes are not capable of eating an egg or anything the way you are discribing the holes.
snakes swallow the egg whole and then a hook breaks the egg inside just before the gullet, the shell is then spit out whole but flat.
What you have going on is likely rats, set traps, just because you dont see evidence of them does not mean they are not coming in and doing the egg damage.

Yeah, snakes cannot eat eggs like that.

Squirrels have been known to eat eggs though.

Nope...the only sucking snakes can do is when they eat the whole egg and leave it flat. Unless you mean sucking up baby chicks like a vacuum cleaner...

Cats will also suck an egg out like what you have described.

Here is the snake that was in my feed room. I wish this was the only snake I have had in there. I just got another one in my brooder tonight that had killed at least 6 of my 2 day old chicks!! ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!