Broody hens. Two sitting on 15+ eggs. Went to check today and all eggs gone

[gear9250]

Really not sure what happened. In a 24hr period all eggs are gone and hens back up on roost tonight. We have a rooster that is very protective and the two hens that went broody were top hens. None of the others messed with them. Especially during the past couple weeks. They were sitting in eggs for 16 days. Now tonight are all gone. Hens stayed on eggs all day and night. Broody hens were broody previously and hatched several times. We have Great Pyrenees that don't allow anything around and all the hens have to do is call out in trouble and rooster comes running and so do dogs. No large predator could be reason hens are in a 10x10 coop and were in their boxes. Boxes are off ground a couple feet but do have ramps up to them. Only a rat or snake I could think of a predator but doubt in a 24 he period. 30-40 eggs would be gone. No cracked shells. No left over liquid from eggs in boxes. No eggs around where looks like they pushed out. Eggs are just gone. Any ideas would be helpful. Again this was day 16 of them sitting.

 

[Casper101Popcor]

Really not sure what happened. In a 24hr period all eggs are gone and hens back up on roost tonight. We have a rooster that is very protective and the two hens that went broody were top hens. None of the others messed with them. Especially during the past couple weeks. They were sitting in eggs for 16 days. Now tonight are all gone. Hens stayed on eggs all day and night. Broody hens were broody previously and hatched several times. We have Great Pyrenees that don't allow anything around and all the hens have to do is call out in trouble and rooster comes running and so do dogs. No large predator could be reason hens are in a 10x10 coop and were in their boxes. Boxes are off ground a couple feet but do have ramps up to them. Only a rat or snake I could think of a predator but doubt in a 24 he period. 30-40 eggs would be gone. No cracked shells. No left over liquid from eggs in boxes. No eggs around where looks like they pushed out. Eggs are just gone. Any ideas would be helpful. Again this was day 16 of them sitting.

This is a very weird situation. I have no idea, except that the hens maybe moved the eggs? But that couldn't have happened, since they would've broke..

 

[Donna R Raybon]

I would be checking dog poop for egg shells.

 

[gear9250]

I checked for them possibly moving as well but since they both were on roost. They wouldn't leave there eggs. And for the other reply. The dogs wouldn't have got the eggs. We've raised chickens for years and they never mess with the eggs. Even the ones that lay outside the coop.
Also the hens never lost there peckin status. They still on top of roost next to the rooster like they were before went broody. Other eggs layed during the day are fine. Still in the boxes. Even let sit overnight still there in morning. Nothing makes since of the matter.

 

[dekel18042]

This is a very weird situation. I have no idea, except that the hens maybe moved the eggs? But that couldn't have happened, since they would've broke..

A large snake? I've been hearing a lot of snake stories lately.