Do people STEAL eggs?

[Jen71]

Do people really steal eggs from your coop?

I can't imagine that would be the case. But we have been looking at chicken coops and one design has a lock on the egg collecting door.

Has this been a problem for you? Or is the lock there for other reasons - smart predators, perhaps?

 

[math ace]

It is there for smart predators - - - like Racoons.
We use two locks figuring it will take two racoons working together to get in.
We placed them far enough apart that one racoon could not reach both at the same time - - - but a human can.

 

[Jen71]

That is amazing. I had no idea raccoons were that smart.
Luckily we don't have them here in Australia. We do have foxes - lots of em. I wonder if a fox is that smart?
I don't want to find out the hard way.

 

[backdoorchicken]

people will steal anything

 

[Chicken0Boy]

I read one post were a guy's friend was coming over at night and getting eggs while the other guy was as work! The bad thing is the guy who was stealing eggs sold them at work!

 

[Jen71]

Quote:
Oh no! That's crazy!
I guess people could steal anything, but it just seems particularly odd to crawl into someone's chicken coop and steal eggs.

 

[MuranoFarms]

Quote:
Nope. Foxes don't have opposable thumbs. Raccoon hands are like people hands. So they can open things that a fox couldn't. A fox has a paw like a dog. SO they can bat at stuff, and push it around, but they can't get a grip like a raccoon can.

I haven't had anybody steal eggs, but I did read a few threads on here when it happened to others.

 

[rubyrogue]

I just finished putting locks on all access to my coop because someone was taking eggs and leaving gates open. but yes it is also for furry predators too.

 

[MareeZoCool]

I would think young children could wander after school and search for those eggs.

My hubby caught our Jack Russell with one egg yesterday! She didn't break it, was just carrying it around.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

In most places coons only operate at night so if you're not leaving eggs in the nest over night (generally a bad idea) you won't have coons stealing them.

Now we do have some here that have had people stealing eggs. It doesn't seem to happen very often, but there have been a few who have reported problems with this.

If I had a problem with this I'd be setting up a camera system. If they will take eggs out of my coop who knows what else they'll steal?

.....Alan.