Buff Hen eggs missing

[Buffrington]

Hi all

I am kind off surprised, I went and bought laying pellets for my hens and they seem to like it very much. I hear the egg laying cluck and went and checked and there was an egg from one of my hens, I am planning on keeping the eggs for the hen to incubate eventually. This morning I went to check if all is okay in the coop etc, gone was the egg, there are no way a predator could have been in the coop as well as no evidence of one off my chickens eating the egg. What could have happened?

Am now starting to think I should incubate the eggs myself if this would be the case.

 

[appps]

Did you see the squirrel stealing eggs thread? Maybe you also had a little visitor

 

[Buffrington]

Thank you for the reply..I have to say that where I live in South Africa, the only predators able to get in my coop are my two little boy's. I am just seriously concerned and disapointed.

 

[appps]

Lol. Yeah we don't have them here in Australia either. I wondered because you said no predators but squirrels didn't really fit in that catagory. When folk say predators I now picture bears and raccoons and foxes. All those big things.

Snakes?? But again they'd have to be able to squeeze in somehow. Not sure how big a hole they need or how skinny a snake can eat a chicken egg though.

 

[Buffrington]

Snakes I doubt as well, I think I am going to put an egg in one of the nests and place a camera to catch the culprit, Some might say it is a bit over reacting, but I don't, I need them eggs

 

[shotgunfairy]

A lot of the times if its a snake and you have a nice safe coop the snake with the egg can't fit the in the same hole and cant get out an you find it in the morning.

 

[Buffrington]

I'll keep an eye and see if I can spot the eggs tomorrow morning. I have taken 2 eggs from the fridge and marked them with aa pensel and placed them in the same nest hoping someone or something will try to get them.

 

[lazy gardener]

Please keep us posted!!

 

[Buffrington]

Hi,

A few day's later and there are now 5 eggs in the nest, I had to take 2 eggs from the fridge and placed them in one nest, Th's morning I have taken them out and hopefully their 5 will continue to grow.

Thanks