injured chicken laid egg

[lehjah42]

A neighbors chicken who visits our 2 and gives us green eggs was injured. Don't know what happened, thought she was a goner. Put her in our henhouse where she rested quietly and laid an egg near where she was resting. Our 2 are not using the henhouse except we lock them there in the evening after they roost on our back railing. Anyway we went away for the weekend and left our chickens out and the injured one and her egg in the henhouse. When we got back the chicken was gone and her egg was broken in two (like I had used it for cooking) and the insides of it were gone. We do not know what kind of predator would break and eat an egg like that. There were no signs of the injured chicken. Any ideas?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It could be 2 predators. Possums, coons, skunks, fox, coyote, etc. would eat the egg.
Taking the bird away would be a fox, coyote, hawk, dog, bobcat.

 

[lehjah42]

Thank you for the info. I know we have a possum around, saw it once in the backyard. It is possible the chicken got out of the henhouse and is back home next door where she lives. I hope so. I was wondering if the hen could have eaten the egg to build up some strength before she left the hen house.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If she isn't an egg eater, she wouldn't know to eat the egg for energy.
Possums and coons will eat a small part of the bird where they kill it.
If you didn't see a spot of feathers she may have gotten away.

 

[aart]

Maybe your neighbor came and got their chicken...left the egg shell to spoof you?

 

[lehjah42]

Funny!! They don't really care, they have been giving me their eggs for years because they don't eat them.. They got the chicks for their child for Easter a few years ago and didn't want to get rid of them. I am sure my rooster must get on their nerves because he is always going over there, but they haven't complained.