Missing Eggs!!!

[prancie]

My broody hen was sitting on 7 eggs. Today when she was off the nest for a few minutes we saw that there were only 5 eggs. Sometime in the last 2 or 3 days 2 eggs vanished. What the heck could have taken the eggs in the short spans of time that she is off the nest? Or taken the eggs out from under her???

 

[Dora'smom]

Could a large snake have access to the area?

 

[prancie]

Well, the coop is open during the day so anything could get in. There was some commotion out there today involving some crows, but i don't know if that had anything to do with it. I have never seen anything but chickens in the coop, but it is possible that rats or snakes could get in.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

She may have eaten the eggs. I had alot of my hens do that.

 

[tigerrrrrrrlilly]

Crows do steal eggs, every day they wait on top of my fence early in the morning and hope for my ducks to lay eggs outside after I let them out. They snatch them very quickly, we have watched it. I even had one brave enough to steal a steak right off the barbecue!

 

[prancie]

this morning there were only 4 eggs....

 

[sourland]

Snakes or rats won't hesitate to take eggs or chicks from under a hen. Crows will also raid nests, but are usually reluctant to enter a coop. Possums, skunks, and coons are egg eaters but will usually kill the hen also. Good luck with solving this problem.

 

[patnjess]

snakes have taken ours a few times, but we have always been able to get them, as they can come in but with a gut full of egg, they don't fit out.

 

[Mervin]

Quote:
I'm sure crow must be positively awful (otherwise people would "control" their numbers more). But, I'm might try BarBQing one if it stole my supper right of the BarBQ.

 

[prancie]

turns out she is eating them. I don't know if she has pecked them and broken them, or broken them on accident and eaten them. I took the last 3 out and am firing up the incubator to see if I can hatch them. Then I plan to give the chicks to her. She is happily sitting on some egg shaped rocks at the moment...