Ceramic decoy eggs disappear ??

[Cuatro Pollitos]

My young hens were kind of laying eggs here and there, so to encourage them to lay in the nest box, I put two ceramic decoy eggs in there. The next morning they were gone. GONE gone, like where did they go? Would the chickens have booted them out (buy why wouldn't I find them) or did a skunk or something carry them off? Any conjectures or experience welcome! Jill

 

[Callender Girl]

I had a similar experience and am pretty sure some wild critter got quite a surprise when its "dinner" turned out to be less than appetizing.

That's only happened once here, and I regularly put ceramic eggs in the coops. So. let's hope your thief has learned its lesson!

 

[EuroChook]

I have no explanation. But wow, that is so weird!

 

[NanaK]

I had some fake eggs disappear several years ago. It was a large rat snake. He didn't fair to well. We added more hardware cloth and haven't lost and more.
Keep watch!

 

[EuroChook]

I had some fake eggs disappear several years ago. It was a large rat snake. He didn't fair to well. We added more hardware cloth and haven't lost and more.
Keep watch!

A large rat snake with terrible indigestion, Mam, I would imagine

 

[RoyalChick]

I have one hen who boots them out and another hen who retrieves them.
In the back and forth one often goes missing.
I imagine it is buried deep in their litter (I use the deep litter method).

 

[EuroChook]

A large rat snake with terrible indigestion, Mam, I would imagine

I mean, imagine him try and poop. Ever seen a snake make a run for the ER at County General? Oh boy!

His snake wife sees the rather congested look on his face and asks, "Where you been all day? What's up with you?" "I don't want to talk about it."

 

[Sussex19]

Ravens have taken some of my plastic eggs.