scared chickens - missing eggs

[dwkremer]

My daughter has a small flock (8) that are kept in a pen at night. The pen is made of 2x3 wire with a top and a cement floor, and has a coop with purchases and nests. Recently the daily egg count has been going down. One day I looked in on my way buy and there wer four eggs in the nest, but when my daughter went in next morning to get them she only found two, but there were some broken shell pieces on the floor. Then two nights (about midnight) one of the chickens goes crazy, squakin and carring on. I rushed outside and the chicken was in the pen outside the coop makin all kind of noise and there were feathers everywhere. Next moring all the chickens were accounted for, one looked a little rough. Next night a chicken again goes crazy, but there are no feathers and only two eggs for the day. Again tonight I am awakened by sqaukin chickens, rush outside to find two outside the coop (inside the pen) cowering in the corner making all kind of noise. There is nothing in the coop other then the other sleeping chickens.

What could be getting through the 2x3 fence, eating eggs and terrorifying the chickens?

I live in a rural part of MD, occasional coons, foxes and possums in the area.

tks

 

[silkiechicken]

Maybe you should put chicken wire around the coop bottom just in case. I know a baby possum can easily get though 2x3 fence holes. I had one in the chicken run that went though a hole just larger than a paper roll! I caught it by it's tail and tossed it. It was stealing food. Maybe someone else can tell you what it really was.

 

[GoodEgg]

I was wondering if it could be a snake but ...

The only way you'd find broken eggshells was if the snake digested the eggs and spit them out. Normally snakes do digest their food before they leave the scene, but I think it might take longer than overnight? I'm not a snake expert (though we sure had them coming into the house a few months ago!)

What I do know, is that snakes can get into VERY small holes, and they can scare your chickens, and they do eat eggs.

I just don't know if they'd digest, leave the shells, and be gone before morning.

Otherwise I don't know what it could be, except maybe a weasel? I'm not sure if they eat eggs rather than chickens? They can get into small openings too. Also rats can squeeze through very small spaces.

Hope you find out, or someone can come and tell you something better. Just trying to help with my (limited) info.

trish