disappearing eggs

[muurphyjohn]

Around 2 weeks ago, I had a chicken sitting on a dozen eggs. I never saw her leave the nest for the first week, so I assumed everything was good. When I happened to see her finally off the nest stretching her legs, I saw that there were only 2 eggs left!
I suspected my uncle down the road had collected eggs while I was away, but he denied it, and I have been looking at him suspiciously ever since.
Yesterday it happened again! I had another hen sitting on 9 eggs...this morning there was only 2.
My uncle is off the hook, but I have no other suspects. What kind of monster steals an egg from underneath a chicken when there are plenty available out in the open?
We have a few rats around, but they've always been around, so are they trying new things? Or is there another critter that does this?

 

[BoomChickaPop]

Maybe a snake they will swallow an egg whole
But I have lost hatching eggs from the other hens. Are they in a separate pen?

BCP

 

[muurphyjohn]

We saw a crow stealing one and have since seen a video on you tube of a crow entering a coop and coming out with an egg in its mouth. Also, earlier today we found out that our new neighbours feel that there may be squatters living in their abandoned barns/sheds in their backyard. We suspect that maybe they've been coming in during the night and stealing them. Snakes aren't a problem in our area.