Another Ceramic fake egg stolen

[fibafingers]

I wish I knew who the thief is--- this is the third egg that has disappeared and why would an animal take a fake egg!

Geez--- it's getting costly to keep supplying one of my nest boxes with these eggs but it's the only way my free range birds will continue to lay inside the coop. The coon that stole the egg last night had to be small enough to fit under the pen (I found the dug tunnel) go up the ramp---- yes I normally don't leave it open and steal the egg while birds roosting

Go figure!

Annie from Unity Maine who loves watching my multicolored small flock

 

[sourland]

Count your blessings that 'whatever' took the egg and not one of your birds. Good luck for a resolution to this situation. I'd be using a box trap baited with eggs.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Could also be an opossum. I feel like a coon would have gone after your birds??

Snakes, rats, crows (though not at night).

Need to up your security or your birds will be next.

A cheap game cam might help you.

 

[Pensmaster]

I’ve figured mine were being stolen by raccoons as well. However I’ve recently seen ground squirrels eating eggs and have seen eggs abandoned in areas where hens couldn’t have been.
Bigger concern here is why didn’t the raccoon take out the hens instead of the eggs if it made entry to your coop.

 

[RWise]

My bet would be a rat! I had a rat take more than a dozen golf balls from a nest. (used golf balls are cheap). My dog got the rat and the balls came back from leaf piles where they had been hidden by said rat, the girls dug them out.

 

[Alexander2000]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!!

he coon that stole the egg last night had to be small enough to fit under the pen (I found the dug tunnel) go up the ramp-

Did you see the coon?
How big was the tunnel?
Pics with a coin or bill for scale can help.

Might fakies just be buried in nest or floor bedding?
Could it have gotten cartoned and sold.

Whatever took it, sounds like you need to seriously tighten up your security.
Might want to build a secure run too, just in case you have daytime predators and need to suspend free ranging for a time.

Anti-dig aprons can deter diggers.
Good examples of apron installation, tho I'd not recommend 1/2" HC...go with 14ga 1x2 or 1x1, will hold up much longer and is easier to lay flat.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1110498/wire-around-coop#post_17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

 

[snow5164]

I’d save the money from a game cam and work on security around the run and coop. Its scary to think that something has been in there a few times without you making changes.....

Your birds will be next !!

A wire skirt around the run and closing the door at night are needed ASAP

 

[texsuze]

Rat snake. Caught one while doing "night check" in my barn once. He was in the coop and my girls were just watching him calmly. It was a real tug-of-war getting him out.

Caught another rat snake (again, "night check") another time and this poor reptile had swallowed one of my fake eggs which had gone missing recently---a conspicuous, hard bulge in his mid-section. I should've dispatched him (makes me squeamish cuz I like snakes), but I released him 1/2 mile away. I'm sure he had an unpleasant demise.

My guess is snakes, namely rat snake, if you have those in your neck of the woods. Unless you have actually witnessed a different predator in your coop.