Rats

You can put a barrel out, with feed, they crawl in and can't get out. Seal up all your food, and why can't you get the eggs during the day? We only see the rats at night. As long as you have feed, you will have rats. Its a matter of controlling them as best you can. Maybe a cat would help

 

Are the rats eating the eggs? We use a combination of things to battle rats, and kind of rotate them, b/c rats will get used to whatever
you're using if you just use one thing, and learn to avoid it. Best thing is electric rat zapper traps, they are expensive but effective; just switch the bait
periodically; peanut butter, or cashews work ok.

Snap traps will work for a while.

Mix plaster of paris and powdered sugar, a little grain, and put it in a container they can get into and the chickens can't. The rats will eat it, and you can
imagine the result. I don't like to use this method, but it does work pretty well for small rats, anyway. I don't like to see any animal suffer, but it does work, and is
safer than rat poison. Sometimes there's no choice.

The first time we put electronic rat repellers (for barns) in our barn, they worked very well; we didn't see any sign of rats at all for a few months. But they will
learn to tolerate these, like they do everything.

That's why you have to switch your methods around.

Also,make sure your chicken feed and everything else edible is secured in a rat proof (metal) bin or trash can. pick up the feed when they're done eating, don't leave it out overnight.

 

So, I'm thinking they are eating the eggs, not so much, that the rats are out while you go to the coop.