What does it look like when snakes eat chooks eggs?

[MountainPea]

Our chooks free range during daylight hours. I wasn't able to collect our eggs until 4pm today, and when I got to the chook shed each of the four eggs that were laid today were scattered around and the contents eaten out, with a big hole on the side. Our chooks have never eaten their own eggs. They're about 10 months old, have 24/7 access to pellets and free access to 84 acres of green pasture all day long. We've seen a few snakes around already (middle of spring here in Australia), so we know they're about. The snakes main food is probably mice, there's plenty of them about.

What are others experience with snakes eating eggs? Do they usually eat the whole egg? Could it be rodents? Whatever it was had a big appetite, and I really hope it wasn't the chooks. I'd be so disappointed if that was the case.

 

[AustralorpsAU]

Im thinking it would be something more like a rat or mouse! Im no expert but it think snakes and that eat the whole egg! could be wrong though!

 

[MountainPea]

How do I rat-proof our chook shed? Or is it just a matter of getting the eggs before they do?

 

[Dmontgomery]

In my experience, snakes will swallow the eggs whole, not just break open one end and eat the insides. If it was a snake, you either wouldn't find any evid nice at all or there might be a crushed egg shell that it expelled after digesting the egg. To prevent mice/rats from getting in the coop you would have to seal up every little gap with 1/2" hardware cloth wire including the perimeter of the coop so couldn't slide in under the walls. If you chickens don't free range you could set traps or get a cat.

 

[MountainPea]

Trouble is that they free range, and we definitely don't want cats. Seriously considering rat bait set up in pvc pipes (so that the chooks don't eat it). I'm annoyed that I now have to deal with this!