Missing eggs

[Matt Berry]

A snake could easily reach 4 feet in the air, but as said before wouldn't eat that many eggs.

If you can't figure out what is happening to the eggs, you could buy one of those game outdoor cameras, that takes a picture when something goes by it. Camcorder would work, or a webcam set to security mode could help too. This is especially helpful for catching two legged critters.

 

[ausash]

Thank you for all the responses. I have carefully looked around in the nesting boxes and moved around the nesting material and there is no dampness or eggshell or anything indicating that hens are eating the eggs (I have had this happen before with previous chickens so know what to look for). I have wondered about the two legged predators as my coop is in my side yard but most people that live in my neighborhood do not even realize that I own chickens because the coop is well hidden and out of the way. We got home earlier today and still no sign of eggs. I still do not believe that it could be a snake after all it has been five days since I last received an egg. Could the hens have just all stopped laying all at the same time when they are not moulting? I will be home almost all day tomorrow and will be better able to gauge what is going on.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Who took care of your chickens while you were gone?
Is there any way they could have been out of water during this time?

I don't know this for a fact, but I have read in OLD animal care books that for every hour that a chicken is without water, there will be that many days without eggs.
So, if yours went without water for 7 hours, then it would take them 7 days to start laying again.

There was something about running out of food too, but it wasn't as critical as the water, so I don't remember it.

Just a thought to ponder.

Jean

 

[silkiechicken]

That sucks... if you suspect human, I say you should get some fertile eggs, incubate for 14 days, and put them in the nests for them to pick up! Good luck on identifying the cause.

 

[horsewishr]

silkie, that's just sick.

(Don't we have a puking smiley?)

I like the idea of grossing out an egg-stealer. But those poor baby chicks!

 

[silkiechicken]

That is true... well, you just have to find someone with spoiled eggs that were infertile, died in incubation or didn't make it! I myself would end up just hatching everyone!

 

[ausash]

Rafter- nobody was taking care of them but they had plenty of food and their water is hooked up to an automatic waterer that never runs dry and I know that they had water when I came back because I always check and clean out the waterer when I come back and there was water in there. (If we are just leaving for a couple of days I don't have my chicken sitter come over because they are usually fine).

I paid very close attention to them today as I was home all day and discovered that they are not laying at all not a single one of them. I find it very strange that they have all the sudden stopped laying all on the same day and that they are not moulting, nobody appears sick and they are eating like normal and running around like normal. Hopefully sometime soon they will come off strike and actually give me eggs again.

Thanks again for all the great suggestions and I would have really wondered about two footed predators if I would have gotten eggs today while I was home and not any other of the days while I was gone.

 

[poppycat]

Could they be slowing don on laying due to decreased daylight hours?

Just a thought, it is that time of year.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Well, it looks like you have eliminated the lack of water, food, and possible human predators.

So it sounds like the daylight issue. I wouldn't think they would all stop at one time though.

I don't know where you are, but if you have a Wal-mart, they sell an outdoor timer for around $12.00 - $14.00.
I set mine to come on at 4 Am and go off at 8 Am. then they can go back into the coop with the setting sun & don't have a sudden darkness, where they might "get lost" and not get inside before the light goes off.

You could try that if you have electricity in your coop. It would take a few days for them to adjust to it and start laying again.

Other than that, I don't know why they would just quit on you.

Jean

 

[evaraye]

I posted last week, when I noticed that we were getting quite a few less eggs than the week before... my husband is home during the day so he has kept an eye on things. We have only gotten 2 eggs per day for the past few days. My husband was sick today, so he didn't go out to spy on things. When I came home this afternoon I went straight to the coop to collect any eggs... we have 18 hens, so we should have had at least 4 to 6 eggs... in the first box I found one that had be cracked and oozing out. As I watched and checked in the next two boxes, there were about 3 hens near the broken egg... those 3 hens devoured the broken egg. Not a bit of shell or egg left behind. They ate the entire egg... in less than 30 seconds.

What can I do? I did pick up some grit after researching the problem about hens eating eggs. Is that enough to help stop it? Is there some secret solution to make them stop it? I read on one of the forums that they put a spicy concoction in a blown-out egg shell... if they go to eat it, it will discourage them to eat the eggs... How much should I be feeding them? We feed them twice a day, but we try to wait until the feed tray is almost empty before giving them more... should we just keep it full as much as possible?

HELP and ADVICE appreciated!
Evaraye