Does this sound like a snake?

[LittleMissCountry]

I had just posted about our fox sighting, and another weird thing happened. My hens are just about at the age of laying, so I opened up the nesting boxes and put some golden colored plastic easter eggs in one of the boxes.
This morning, one of the plastic eggs is gone, and the divider between the nesting boxes was knocked down. I would have assumed the chickens knocked down the divider, but the egg being gone is really weird. I looked all over to make sure they didn't bury it or knock it out of the coop. Nowhere to be found! I have never seen a snake in the coop before, but I know that doesn't mean anything

 

[azygous]

If a snake can get into your coop, so could a weasel or a rat. They can compress their bodies to fit through a crack. Have your chickens been acting nervous and stressed? If you have a predator, chances are goo the chickens have noticed it.

But it's also within the realm of possibility one of the chickens moved the fake egg to another location. Don't underestimate their ability to move an egg just because they have no hands.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

If a snake can get into your coop, so could a weasel or a rat. They can compress their bodies to fit through a crack. Have your chickens been acting nervous and stressed? If you have a predator, chances are goo the chickens have noticed it.

But it's also within the realm of possibility one of the chickens moved the fake egg to another location. Don't underestimate their ability to move an egg just because they have no hands.

I couldn't find a place where a snake could get in, plus if they actually ate one of the plastic eggs, they sure wouldn't be able to get back out, right?
The chickens haven't changed their behavior, or acted stressed. They were chasing a huge rat snake in the yard a few days ago which was hilarious to watch.
I will have to go check the run again. Maybe they buried it somewhere and I just missed it, which is possible.

 

[RWise]

I use golf balls in the nests, when only one goes missing it is most often a snake. However if several go missing it is most likely a rat hiding them.
Good luck finding yours!

 

[LittleMissCountry]

I found it! It was in the run, buried under some leaves. Hopefully it was the chickens and not a rat!

 

[itspebbl]

It was most likely the chickens. If they went in there and scratched around, they could have knocked the barrier down and kicked the egg out somehow. A rat would have no reason to take a fake egg, especially if it didn't smell like eggs (since your girls aren't laying)

 

[LittleMissCountry]

It was most likely the chickens. If they went in there and scratched around, they could have knocked the barrier down and kicked the egg out somehow. A rat would have no reason to take a fake egg, especially if it didn't smell like eggs (since your girls aren't laying)

That was my thought, too. I need to reinforce the dividers, but I did notice poo in one of the nesting boxes that did not have the plastic eggs, so maybe they were trying to get them out to sleep in there. I can't seem to break them of that, even though they have been roosting for ages now. Not much poo, so it must just be one chicken.

 

[Trux]

If a snake can get into your coop, so could a weasel or a rat. They can compress their bodies to fit through a crack. Have your chickens been acting nervous and stressed? If you have a predator, chances are goo the chickens have noticed it.

But it's also within the realm of possibility one of the chickens moved the fake egg to another location. Don't underestimate their ability to move an egg just because they have no hands.

Wife had a broody Bantam named Goldie. She would go to other nests after hens layed there eggs and move them to her nest. She told me at one point she had like 14 eggs under her. She would get them up under her wings and move them.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Wife had a broody Bantam named Goldie. She would go to other nests after hens layed there eggs and move them to her nest. She told me at one point she had like 14 eggs under her. She would get them up under her wings and move them.

Lol! Hopefully mine won't be stealing eggs when they start laying.