Missing eggs - predator? moved by adults?

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palomasfarm

palomasfarm

Hatching
Mar 23, 2015
8
3
9
Truth or Consequences, NM
This afternoon I stumbled across a guinea hen laying eggs in a nest across the road from our house. It's a brushy area, near a creek, middle of nowhere. This evening my kids and I walked over to count eggs and check them out (potentially grab some for incubating), but every single one was gone. No shells, no obvious tracks, no sign of a predator. I estimate that there were 25-30 eggs in the nest this morning.

Could the pair have moved them? Could a bullsnake have eaten that many?? Wouldn't most predators leave shells?

I'm at a loss.
 
palomasfarm said:
This afternoon I stumbled across a guinea hen laying eggs in a nest across the road from our house. It's a brushy area, near a creek, middle of nowhere. This evening my kids and I walked over to count eggs and check them out (potentially grab some for incubating), but every single one was gone. No shells, no obvious tracks, no sign of a predator. I estimate that there were 25-30 eggs in the nest this morning.

Could the pair have moved them? Could a bullsnake have eaten that many?? Wouldn't most predators leave shells?

I'm at a loss.
Click to expand...

It was most likely done by a predator. Most of the egg eating predators eat everything including the shells. With that many eggs any predator tracks may have been blurred badly. A brushy area near a creek would be a prime spot for a raccoon or any other of a large variety of predators. You would be surprised how quickly a raccoon, fox or skunk can clean up a bunch of eggs.
 
The ravens follow my hens around the pasture stealing their eggs as soon as they get off the nest. But I agree that along a creek would be a prime spot for predators. A hen that went broody in a spot like that would likely fall victim herself. Hopefully your hen will now find a safer spot.
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