Eggs Cracked Open & Eaten - Name the Predator

[greenfamilyfarms]

My Dad is having trouble with some type of critter breaking the tops off of his bantam's eggs and eating the egg, then leaving the shell. Any ideas on what could be doing this?

 

[bobbi-j]

Cats will do that.

 

[aprophet]

Most do not realize fox are egg eaters too.

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
I didn't realize that! I know my egg-eaters were barn cats, and I know skunks will eat eggs, but don't skunks take the whole egg?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

When I was having a mouse problem, they were breaking the top off the eggs with their teeth. I would usually only find the shell. No eggs mess anywhere. Then one night I shut the coop up after it got dark. When I shined my flashlight inside to count the birds there were little mice everywhere. In the nestboxes, the feed container and the water. No more food left in the coop YUCK

 

[zazouse]

Coons, possums, rats, dogs, foxes, crows, wolves, squirrels, and armadillos do it here when they find a nest in the fields

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

We're leaning towards rat/mouse, too, because a person would think if it was something else they would go after the chickens, too.

 

[Stacykins]

Chickens themselves can eat the eggs...

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Quote:
Thought of that, too, but they wouldn't leave the shells would they?

 

[yinepu]

if just the end of the egg is bitten off.. and the edges of the shell are busted down.. it's a skunk.. they only take off the end and as they stuff their nose in they crumple the edges

a coon tends to bite the egg in half..but they also remove the egg from the nest and move off a bit of a distance before eating

a opossum leaves chewed up shell remains behind.. they are rather messy when it comes to eggs

a mink or weasel also bites off the end.. they dont usually crumple the edges though... you'll find tiny teeth marks around the edges

a fox will break a hole into an egg just big enough for them to lick out the contents