So I have an "Egg Eater" in the flock....

[The Chickeneer]

I went to go check on the birds this morning, and I collected one egg (they're not laying a lot right now). I noticed the dummy eggs in two of the nest boxes were cracked in half and eaten up, leaving just the two halves of shell behind. I have ducks, chickens and guineas and I have no idea how I'm going to catch who is doing it.

I think I can rule the ducks out, they cant eat eggs right? Their bill kind of prevents them im thinking. But how am I going to catch who did it? I cant do cameras, Im not going somewhere to buy some just for this. How do I catch who did it? Any ideas?. Thanks

 

[mizzq]

My only thought, if you don't want to do cameras, is maybe try to do a process of elimination. If you can, separate them into two groups and go from there. Figure out which group has the egg eater than split that group up and keep splitting them up until you find the one you are looking for. It's an idea. Good luck!

 

[sumi]

That's strange. Usually when a chicken eats an egg she'll eat the shell as well...

Here's an article with tips on breaking an egg eater:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/six-tips-on-breaking-your-egg-eater

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Ditto, the only evidence I've seen of egg eating in my flock are wet shavings or a little yolk left behind (and mine weren't chronic egg eaters, every once in a while one gets stepped on and broken or one is soft and gets eaten- no big deal). < maybe this is what happened. Or maybe you have mice. Or, maybe if its cold enough where you live, it froze, split in half and they gobbled the contents. I'm more leaning towards mice though....the only time I've found eaten eggs with shells left behind was when I had a rodent problem. Good luck.
Nikki

 

[The Chickeneer]

My only thought, if you don't want to do cameras, is maybe try to do a process of elimination. If you can, separate them into two groups and go from there. Figure out which group has the egg eater than split that group up and keep splitting them up until you find the one you are looking for. It's an idea. Good luck!

Great idea, I think I'm going to try it.

 

[donrae]

Ditto, the only evidence I've seen of egg eating in my flock are wet shavings or a little yolk left behind (and mine weren't chronic egg eaters, every once in a while one gets stepped on and broken or one is soft and gets eaten- no big deal). < maybe this is what happened. Or maybe you have mice. Or, maybe if its cold enough where you live, it froze, split in half and they gobbled the contents. I'm more leaning towards mice though....the only time I've found eaten eggs with shells left behind was when I had a rodent problem. Good luck.
Nikki

Yep, my recent problem was rats. They opened the shell, ate the innards, left the shell in the nest. When I've broke an egg in the coop or run, the hens have eaten every last bit of shell, everything until there was just a sticky spot left on the bedding.

 

[mizzq]

Ditto, the only evidence I've seen of egg eating in my flock are wet shavings or a little yolk left behind (and mine weren't chronic egg eaters, every once in a while one gets stepped on and broken or one is soft and gets eaten- no big deal). < maybe this is what happened. Or maybe you have mice. Or, maybe if its cold enough where you live, it froze, split in half and they gobbled the contents. I'm more leaning towards mice though....the only time I've found eaten eggs with shells left behind was when I had a rodent problem. Good luck.
Nikki

I periodically have the same issue, broken eggs with only shell left. I know I have mice but I would have never thought that they would be that gutsy as to get into the nest box. I think my jersey white giant is a mouser. I saw her chase one across the chicken house floor once.