Egg Eater - Possum / Rats?????

[Sublight]

The wife came home from work around midnight, and saw that I had forgotten to lock up the chickens. She went out to the pen to close them up, and they were all out of the pen.
She checked the pen, and started putting them back in. They would jump right back out, they didn't want to be in the pen.
She got them back in and saw that something had eaten the eggs.

I assumed possum. I put out the live trap, but have had no luck.

First night: I baited it with a can of sardines, and 2 eggs. Everything was eaten, and the trap never triggered.
Second night: I baited it with a can of sardines, and 2 eggs. The trap was triggered and nothing inside it.
Third night: I baited it with a can of sardines, and 2 eggs. I caught a really big rat (dispatched) about 9:00 PM and reset the trap. That morning the eggs were eaten, and it looked like they were eaten through the side of the pen. The trap was sprung and empty.
Fourth night: I baited it with just 2 eggs to discourage more rats. I placed the eggs in the middle of the trap so they cant be reached from the side. This morning the eggs again were eaten, and the trap had sprung, but nothing in the trap.

Could this be rats that can get through the holes in the trap? Or something smarter. Suggestions anyone?

 

[chickenmama109]

it may be a snake they can get through holes and will eat eggs

good luck

 

[Sublight]

it may be a snake they can get through holes and will eat eggs

good luck

Would a snake cause all the chickens to run out of the pen at midnight? That's why I assumed it was a larger critter.

 

[chickenmama109]

chickens get scared easy it may be a snake

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

Would a snake cause all the chickens to run out of the pen at midnight? That's why I assumed it was a larger critter.

Maybe. Chickens have been known to eat certain snakes too. But, where there are rats they tend to attract snakes. You might want to bury barbed wire around the coop, that tends to mess of burying animals. Also, to deter the rodent population, we only feed once a day.

 

[Sublight]

Maybe. Chickens have been known to eat certain snakes too. But, where there are rats they tend to attract snakes. You might want to bury barbed wire around the coop, that tends to mess of burying animals. Also, to deter the rodent population, we only feed once a day.

We have a no spill feeder, and we close the pen up in the evening.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Try leaving a couple of hard boiled eggs out over night and see what you have in the morning. I'm guessing black rat snake.

Yes my chickens will freak if the large snakes come to visit. Rat snakes climb well and squeeze through very small openings. I caught one outside the run with two large lumps in its belly after two of my 3 week old chicks disappeared. It apparently had been climbing in through a gap in the rafters and eating my eggs for awhile and was systematically eliminating my new chicks.

 

[Sublight]

Try leaving a couple of hard boiled eggs out over night and see what you have in the morning. I'm guessing black rat snake.

Yes my chickens will freak if the large snakes come to visit. Rat snakes climb well and squeeze through very small openings. I caught one outside the run with two large lumps in its belly after two of my 3 week old chicks disappeared. It apparently had been climbing in through a gap in the rafters and eating my eggs for awhile and was systematically eliminating my new chicks.

Ill do it, but why hard boiled eggs?

 

[bobbieschicks]

The hard boiled egg thing came from my reading on BYC about how to catch and/or kill a rat snake who was eating eggs and my little chicks. Apparently they easily swallow the eggs but because they can't crush it as it goes down it kills the snake. Not sure how true as I didn't get the chance to test it before noticing the snake at the edge of our run. Some people also leave wooden eggs in place for the same reason. The snake can't leave out the way they came in if their belly has a large wooden egg in it either. So it's easier to trap that way if it doesn't die eating the eggs.

If you don't want to eliminate the snake you can put out a minnow trap to catch it and then relocate it. But I wasn't as eager to give someone else my predator.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

it may be a snake they can get through holes and will eat eggs

good luck

Try leaving a couple of hard boiled eggs out over night and see what you have in the morning. I'm guessing black rat snake.

Yes my chickens will freak if the large snakes come to visit. Rat snakes climb well and squeeze through very small openings. I caught one outside the run with two large lumps in its belly after two of my 3 week old chicks disappeared. It apparently had been climbing in through a gap in the rafters and eating my eggs for awhile and was systematically eliminating my new chicks.

This happened 2 hours ago..
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hubby-just-grabbed-my-egg-eater.1187029/#post-18742773
So I concur! Roger that!