Entire nest and hen missing!

[arfarmstead]

Any ideas on what would take an entire nest of eggs and a hen?

A little back story....
About 2 weeks ago one of my hens was missing from the coop each night when I locked it up. But I’d see her every morning at our bird feeders before the coop was open. I followed her one day and she scooted under the culvert in our driveway and wayyyyy back inside the culvert (maybe 20 feet in) she had a huge nest of eggs and was incubating them. (The backside of the culvert is closed by piled up rocks- so only open on one side.)

Every night I check on her and she’s always fluffed up sitting on her eggs, seemingly safe under there. Tonight I took my flashlight to look and no hen, no eggs, no egg shells. No feathers. No blood. What in the world would do this? Any ideas? I’m so sad, she was probably getting close to hatching them.
(Also to note, I thought of moving them to a completely safe place, but there’s no way for a human to get in, the space is too small. And a covering would block her from getting out when she needed.)

 

[centrarchid]

Fox or coyote. They will remove carcass and police up intact eggs. If former, then much of what was taken likely cached not too far away. If not cached, then someone has kits / pups real close by.

 

[arfarmstead]

Fox or coyote. They will remove carcass and police up intact eggs. If former, then much of what was taken likely cached not too far away. If not cached, then someone has kits / pups real close by.

Thanks for the reply. I did look in the surrounding area real well, but most of what’s near by is our mowed yard, garage and sheds, etc. Across the road is wooded, and I poked around a bit but didn’t see anything.

 

[centrarchid]

Cache site I have found were within 100 yards of kill site. My dogs found them for me. Most in those cache site were from neighbors flock on other side. Fox kept using site even though dogs knew about them. Even now dogs check area for whatever foxes have stashed there.

 

[arfarmstead]

Cache site I have found were within 100 yards of kill site. My dogs found them for me. Most in those cache site were from neighbors flock on other side. Fox kept using site even though dogs knew about them. Even now dogs check area for whatever foxes have stashed there.

so probably impossible to find.

 

[centrarchid]

so probably impossible to find.

Unless you know direction predator came from / left in. If you plan on keeping chickens for a long time, then consider getting a game camera to see who is appreciating your flock when you are not around. It might allow you to head of future losses. For me it is fun observing what is going on.

 

[pvaldes]

Hello Mr Fox...

You should have pick the hen and the nest to a safe area or close the hole with a heavy lid with holes. Hen are safe the first weeks, but when chicken start pipping inside the egg is the real dangerous time, predators spot the nest quickly.

Or, perhaps they followed your smellprints. Foxes trace human activites all the time searching for a lost sandwich

 

[centrarchid]

Hello Mr Fox...

You should have pick the hen and the nest to a safe area or close the hole with a heavy lid with holes. Hen are safe the first weeks, but when chicken start pipping inside the egg is the real dangerous time, predators spot the nest quickly.

Or, perhaps they followed your smellprints. Foxes trace human activites all the time searching for a lost sandwich

Insight above. When I have a wayward broody that I am unable to find my self, then I one of my dogs over and we take a walk in area a broody might be staying the nigh on the ground. Any of my dogs can locate nest from several feet away based on sound. Some of the sound is coming from the hen. A German Pointer I used to have would systematically locate broodies on ground so I could check on them. Same broodies were safe from Great-horned Owls until they started roosting up. Then we moved them to pens like used for roosters that were used only at night. Sound was signal. Opossums seem to use smell.

 

[cmom]

When the fox took my Gladys, I did find feathers. Across the street from us is woods with a lot of brush. I never did find her.

 

[cmom]

I agree on the game cameras. I have several around on my property and was surprised at the predators that roam here especially at night.
A bat caught on a camera.

A coyote at the chick/grow-out coop.

I don't know who these dogs belong to, but I get them on camera now and then.

Another coyote. This one I have seen quite frequently. It has an injured right front foot.