Egg thieves

[Carols Clucks]

My mom has noticed when she goes to church, magically her chickens skip laying eggs that day........

We have a long property, .6 acres, with the house at the top and no power to the bottom of the property (although I could run a conduit and a couple hundred feet of cord for something with a low power draw)

What would you use to "watch" when she is gone? She does not have web access, so no streaming web cams.


I am thinking of setting up an old vcr and a security camera in a sun room aimed at the chicken house for now, but something to be able to check on the lower gate would be good in the future.

 

[Stacykins]

You could use a game camera. They take still images, and a few of the more expensive models take short videos.

 

[rufus]

Quote:
A game camera would do the trick, but it has to well hidden. People who steal eggs will steal a camera.

It would just be cheaper and easier to have someone skip church and wait to see who shows up. But, maybe not safer.

Rufus

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

Make sure you are properly posted for No Trespassing.

Padlock the chicken area -- the run or the coop or the nest box cover.

Put a game camera up a tree, hidden, with a view of the coop.

One person skip church. Take pictures, call 911, or chase off with weapon.

 

[Stacykins]

Quote:
A game camera would do the trick, but it has to well hidden. People who steal eggs will steal a camera.

It would just be cheaper and easier to have someone skip church and wait to see who shows up. But, maybe not safer.

Rufus

Yes, forgot to mention hiding the camera! Putting one out in plain sight would definitely be silly

 

[sunnychooks]

Your Mom can contact the police and tell them what's happening. They may be willing to have someone watch her coop for an hour on Sunday morning and, if necessary, make an arrest.

 

[ericsplls]

Google day6 plotwatcher. It's smaller than a normal game camera so it hides easier, it doesn't require a motion sensor so being within 25 feet isn't a problem. What it does is take a picture every few seconds during the day and you can watch 6 days worth in a few minutes. It looks like a movie until something odd shows up. You can zoom in on it slow it down and stop it any where you want it.

 

[AllTheseCreatures]

If they know when you're gone and they know you have eggs, it sounds like someone who lives nearby. You can also try letting your neighbors know and asking everyone to keep their eyes open. Maybe someone has already noticed some odd behavior. I would guess it's kids, not an adult.
I think locking the coop and having an adult stay home to covertly watch who comes to take them would be the most inexpensive option.

 

[dewey]

That's awful. Hope you catch them. I like the idea of having someone watch one sunday while she's away.

Once word gets out that someone's stealing eggs during church time, there might be a lot more people show up at service, lol.

The camera that takes a pic every few seconds sounds good, too. I just can't fathom all the chicken and egg stealing going on.

 

[redstars]

A simple sign on the coop door saying smile your on camera would probably get the egg count back where it belongs.
I recently had a similar problem and a padlock worked for me.