Missing egg mystery

[Theorrin]

I would suspect a two legged prankster.

agree. those two legged foxes are annoying. Id suggest a padlock. it was the only way to stop our two legged fox

 

[Melancholy Bear]

Did it reappear in the nest or somewhere else? This is the one that really has me stumped.

How many total eggs have gone missing, including the ceramic one?


I'm as stumped as you. Could you post a few photos of that area? Maybe something will offer a clue.

Reappeared in an adjacent, different nesting box. Three have gone missing. Some time passes between the placement and disappearances, a few days at least. First one missing was real and one of three marked with a hash. (At this time, my thought was a snake.) I removed the remaining two and marked three more, labeled 1, 2, and 3 and put them in the same nesting box. Then I put the trailcam right over top. It was difficult to see anything because the hens obscure the photos, and I can't get a good location or angle for the camera. #2 disappeared but the first one with a hash reappeared. (At this time, my thought was, can one be carrying one around, dropping one and picking up another? Seems impossible. One must be eating them, but that still doesn't explain the reappearance.) So I removed #1 and #3, ordered three ceramic eggs, marked each with two X's, and put one of each in three separate nesting boxes. A few days later, one of these disappeared. Another mystery is that I never find broken shells, or egg white, or egg yolk inside or under the coop. I thought I saw a streak of egg yolk on the wall of a nesting box in one photo back when I thought one was eating them. But really, there's no gooey mess inside. All six chickens come out and free range and run around every evening, so they can't be carrying any. I never notice any bulging wings. We have had a few pecked eggs, and I thought the ceramic ones might break them of that habit. I'll take photos of the coop and nesting boxes tonight.

 

[Kung_pao]

I had two eggs missing recently then these two slithering bandits were caught in the run last evening. Two hens were stalking it- the rooster was outside cowering with the other chickens.
I suspect you have/had a snake, but they usually don’t come back to make a return.
Chickens moving eggs to and from is possible if you have floor nests. I don’t see how they would be able to move eggs from a raised nest (chicken fingers don’t really exist).
View attachment 3525283

Those are beautiful. Great photo!

 

[Melancholy Bear]

The only unscreened holes are at the edge of the lapped siding boards and sides of the R-panel metal roofing, and an egg will not fit through them. Here are some photos.

p.s. The golf balls have never disappeared.

 

[aart]

Nesting boxes are 8-inches above the floor of the coop.

That would be low enough for a wing tucker to navigate.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

That would be low enough for a wing tucker to navigate.

I had no idea chickens could wing tuck an egg.

 

[aart]

I had no idea chickens could wing tuck an egg.

I think it's rare, but it happens.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Nothing about this makes sense.

Reappeared in an adjacent, different nesting box.

I've never seen a chicken carrying an egg but over the years two or three people on this forum said they have. I think it is possible, but I can't see them carrying it around for a few days and then drop it off in a nest. That defies logic. Why would a hen hide one somewhere then bring it back to the nest later.

The typical critters that take eggs without leaving a sign are snakes, canines, and humans. Snakes and canines take them to eat. The only reason a snake would regurgitate one is if can't digest it. I'd expect it to crush any real egg it swallowed. I know some dogs can do really weird things but this one seems too weird.

I have had a snake eat golf balls. They could not get back out of the hole they came through to get in. I have had a possum enter the coop through the pop door, it got into the run when I had them free ranging so critters can enter the coop if a gate or door is open. Sometimes critters can show up when you don't expect them but I can't think of any critter that would return a real egg.

I'm sure you've searched quite well in that coop. Thanks for the photos. I can't see a place where an egg could hide for a few days in there and then show back up.

I don't think you are going to solve this by logic. I think your only hope is to catch something on that game cam. If you do it will probably be something simple. And I'd love to know.

 

[birdlady11]

I always have a problem with snakes (rat snakes mainly) eating my eggs. I solved the problem by collecting eggs a few times a day and never letting the eggs sit in the boxes overnight as rat snakes will visit both day and night. I had one uniquely marked rat snake (a six footer) who learned to come calling when she heard a chicken announcing a new egg. Every time she heard a the look-what-I-just-laid song of one of my girls this snake would show up, sniff out the new egg, eat, then leave to wait for the next egg. That was the only snake I ever took for a ride to my friend's property 7 miles away. Otherwise, I leave the snakes to deal with any bugs or rodents who visit the coop.

It doesn't take long for the egg to make it's way through the snake digestive tract to the "crushing" point so that they can then leave safely the way they got in. They are very strong and very determined and can make it through a much smaller opening then you would have thought possible.

If your boxes are near enough to an opening that a raccoon could reach its arms through and take them or a small weasel could be sneaking in to help itself.

If a chicken breaks and egg in the box to eat there are usually chunks of shell and always a wet spot where the yolk or albumen was spilled.

My girls sometimes dig around inside the next box to make it just the way they like it before they lay so eggs can be buried by one hen and later dug up by another while they find just the right spot to settle in.

I have never heard of nor can I imagine a chicken having the ability to tuck an egg under its wing and actually successfully climbing out of the box and carrying the egg off to somewhere else. While setting during incubating they do lower their wings down to and wiggle around a bit and it looks like they're tucking the eggs under their wings but they're just keeping the eggs clustered and warm under the body.

I have had a hen break an egg in the box and after she sat in the nest for a bit a second egg got stuck to the yolk that had dried on her abdominal feathers and she "carried" it out into the coop that way. I had to clip the feathers on her tummy in order to release the stuck egg.

My bet is on some type of snake or small mammal stealing your eggs. Good luck!