Laying boxes abandoned and full of broken eggs overnight

[romeoandhisladies]

I’m pretty new to chickens. I took over my grandpa’s flock recently. We have two flocks in a segregated coop, one bigger (17 hens, 1 roo), one smaller (8 hens, 1 roo).

One of the small coop hens just had three chicks. No issues, no broken eggs, healthy babies. Even the “dud” eggs remained undisturbed for a day in the box after the chicks were born.

We also had four of the big coop hens decide to lay/sit at the same time, all in a row (but in separate boxes). They were each sitting on a LOT of eggs, but still had some room to move. They were about due to hatch a few days ago.

Two days ago, we went to the coop and found 3 of the 4 hens had abandoned their posts but had no chicks. Instead, their nesting boxes were full of broken eggs, shells and goop everywhere, yolk all in the bottom. Zero sign of dead chicks. The fourth hen was still sitting so we left her alone and checked on her today, she was back in the flock and her box met the same fate. It’s a giant mess. I’m talking about tens and tens of destroyed eggs.

We feed layer pellets with oyster, give greens daily, and none of the hens have ever showed interest in pecking at eggs, even the ones that end up on the ground, so I’m struggling to convince myself that they just sat up weeks after laying and all four decided to eat their eggs (or babies) the day they’re due….? It just seems strange to me. We don’t really have a rat or other predator problem, and we very infrequently see broken regular eggs in the boxes, and we’re at the coop once if not twice a day.

Would love to hear a better educated theory than the ones I’ve thought of.

 

[sourland]

Far more likely that a predator destroyed the nests. Be on guard - the birds may be next.

 

[romeoandhisladies]

Far more likely that a predator destroyed the nests. Be on guard - the birds may be next.

Ty for welcome!

We are definitely looking out. No sign of entry but I know they can be sneaky….

In theory, could/would a fox do this and not kill any hens in the process? We see one on the neighboring property every great once in a while (maybe once or twice a year).

 

[Justso]

Where are you located?
I would suspect a snake, rat or a weasel but a raccoon can't be ruled out.
It's important to know your set up. Do you have external nesting boxes? Make sure you have a good lock on it. Posting pictures of your setup would really help.

 

[Mrs. K]

A raccoon would destroy the hens more so than the eggs. But a possum (I have never seen, we are too far north) and a skunk will go for eggs I think. Snakes tend to swallow the eggs whole.

Post this on the predator website, see if you get a better response, but I am thinking it is a predator.

 

[Cynthia12]

WELCOME! Watch out for predators.

 

[romeoandhisladies]

Where are you located?
I would suspect a snake, rat or a weasel but a raccoon can't be ruled out.
It's important to know your set up. Do you have external nesting boxes? Make sure you have a good lock on it. Posting pictures of your setup would really help.

A raccoon would destroy the hens more so than the eggs. But a possum (I have never seen, we are too far north) and a skunk will go for eggs I think. Snakes tend to swallow the eggs whole.

Post this on the predator website, see if you get a better response, but I am thinking it is a predator.

We do have possums come up in the backyard every so often!

Also I don’t have pictures atm, but we are in Florida. The coop is more of a big converted shed with an attached wire run. All the nesting boxes are inside.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That's not a snake, they swallow eggs whole, but only a few based on the size of the snake. A five foot rat snake swallowed four and left, then came back for more a couple of days later after it digested the first four. Yours was not a snake. A fox or coyote would swallow eggs whole, but would probably be more interested in your chickens. A dog could swallow the eggs whole and not bother the hens. Since it was a mess it wasn't any of these. I'd think a bobcat would be a lot more interested in a chicken than the eggs.

A raccoon, skunk, or possum could do that. Any of those can kill and eat a chicken, not sure what a raccoon would prefer. Skunks and possums would probably prefer the eggs. A skunk tends to break the eggs in half and lick them clean. The nest looks like a bunch of chicks hatched and left the egg shells. A possum tends to smash the egg shells to bits but it eats the eggs. You said yolks and all were left.

A lot of what you said just doesn't sound right for any of these. They bothered 3 hens the first time but not the fourth. A lot of eggs were involved, a possum or skunk can only eat so may and it sounds like most were not eaten. Maybe a Mama predator had her young out teaching them to hunt but I don't see how that fourth hen was left alone. All your hens abandoned their nest but none were injured. Something had to have scared them off.

I have had broody hens fight over a nest of hatching eggs once the chicks started hatching. The destroyed half the eggs. Half but not all. Yours were due to hatch two days ago but your eggs did not have chicks in them, they were not hatching. If they had fought each other one of them would have won and would still be on the nest. This doesn't sound right.

Maybe I totally misunderstood something but I can't figure it out.

 

[romeoandhisladies]

We do have possums come up in the backyard every so often!

That's not a snake, they swallow eggs whole, but only a few based on the size of the snake. A five foot rat snake swallowed four and left, then came back for more a couple of days later after it digested the first four. Yours was not a snake. A fox or coyote would swallow eggs whole, but would probably be more interested in your chickens. A dog could swallow the eggs whole and not bother the hens. Since it was a mess it wasn't any of these. I'd think a bobcat would be a lot more interested in a chicken than the eggs.

A raccoon, skunk, or possum could do that. Any of those can kill and eat a chicken, not sure what a raccoon would prefer. Skunks and possums would probably prefer the eggs. A skunk tends to break the eggs in half and lick them clean. The nest looks like a bunch of chicks hatched and left the egg shells. A possum tends to smash the egg shells to bits but it eats the eggs. You said yolks and all were left.

A lot of what you said just doesn't sound right for any of these. They bothered 3 hens the first time but not the fourth. A lot of eggs were involved, a possum or skunk can only eat so may and it sounds like most were not eaten. Maybe a Mama predator had her young out teaching them to hunt but I don't see how that fourth hen was left alone. All your hens abandoned their nest but none were injured. Something had to have scared them off.

I have had broody hens fight over a nest of hatching eggs once the chicks started hatching. The destroyed half the eggs. Half but not all. Yours were due to hatch two days ago but your eggs did not have chicks in them, they were not hatching. If they had fought each other one of them would have won and would still be on the nest. This doesn't sound right.

Maybe I totally misunderstood something but I can't figure it out.

I’m in the same boat as you. My description is as accurate as I can manage, but it just doesn’t make sense still. I have checked for signs of entry, gaps, broken wire, anything that points to a (larger) animal coming in and nothing. I even re-checked our girls for any injuries I might’ve missed, but again, nothing. No stress feathers in the coop either.

After a lot of thought I can’t figure anything except the hens must’ve done it themselves… I clearly let the eggs overcrowd, maybe one broke and they started pecking at them? Maybe the rooster went awry for some reason? :/

It’s my best guess but it still doesn’t tell me why there were no chicks/chick “parts”/chick bodies; they were certainly broody and they all certainly sat long enough, it was even on the calendar — so the odds of NO chicks seems low to me. It also doesn’t necessarily explain why the fourth hen waited an extra day…I want to make it make sense, lol

I just wish I knew so it doesn’t happen again. We were all looking forward to the babies.

 

[aart]

It’s my best guess but it still doesn’t tell me why there were no chicks/chick “parts”/chick bodies; they were certainly broody and they all certainly sat long enough, it was even on the calendar — so the odds of NO chicks seems low to me. It also doesn’t necessarily explain why the fourth hen waited an extra day…

Obviously your boy is not getting the job done.
Do you candle after 7-10 days to make sure things are developing?

I want to make it make sense

I say this so often these days.