Are they eating eggs?

[RandyStine]

I have 2 layers and a pullet. For the last couple weeks I've been getting 1 or 2 eggs a day. Yesterday I got zero eggs. No big deal. Both layers took a day off. Today? Zero eggs again. Now I'm wondering do I have an egg eater? If there were some remnants of eggs somewhere, I'd be certain of it, but there's no evidence at all. No shell pieces. No yolk stains. No wet spots. No egg on any faces. Both hens have been pretty reliable. I'm new to this. Am I expecting too much or do I have egg eater(s) that are very good at disposing the evidence?

 

[Evadig]

I have 2 layers and a pullet. For the last couple weeks I've been getting 1 or 2 eggs a day. Yesterday I got zero eggs. No big deal. Both layers took a day off. Today? Zero eggs again. Now I'm wondering do I have an egg eater? If there were some remnants of eggs somewhere, I'd be certain of it, but there's no evidence at all. No shell pieces. No yolk stains. No wet spots. No egg on any faces. Both hens have been pretty reliable. I'm new to this. Am I expecting too much or do I have egg eater(s) that are very good at disposing the evidence?

I’ve found that usually when my hens stop laying it’s because they decided to go lay somewhere else (under a bush). I’ve also had hens who take a few days off for no apparent reason, and hens that eat eggs without leaving any evidence. In this case, I’d probably wait a couple more days to rule out the second scenario, and maybe pen them up for several days to hopefully rule out the first possibility. If you still aren’t getting eggs, then it would probably be safe to assume they’re eating them? Hope this helps!

 

[RandyStine]

I’ve found that usually when my hens stop laying it’s because they decided to go lay somewhere else (under a bush). I’ve also had hens who take a few days off for no apparent reason, and hens that eat eggs without leaving any evidence. In this case, I’d probably wait a couple more days to rule out the second scenario, and maybe pen them up for several days to hopefully rule out the first possibility. If you still aren’t getting eggs, then it would probably be safe to assume they’re eating them? Hope this helps!

Thanks. It does. Their run is 8'x8' with about 3"-4" of dried leaves. They've been good about laying in the box, but there're corners and niches and lots of leaves in the run that I didn't check. That'll be a tomorrow chore. In the meantime I'm YouTubing rollaway nest boxes just in case.

 

[RandyStine]

Well, I checked for eggs earlier than usual and again later in the afternoon. One hen has resumed laying. I assume the other will soon. I'm pretty sure they're not eating their eggs. But I'm still thinking about rollaway nest boxes. Homemade of course. Store-bought are too expensive.