We have one Ameraucana that has been laying for a while, and we finally had one more pullet start laying a week ago. Now, yesterday something started stealing my eggs!
My chickens free range all day, so I can't keep their coop shut up otherwise they can't get in to lay, and they lay at random times during the day. I had been keeping some faux eggs in the nesting box to encourage the chickens to lay in it. Yesterday I went out to get our two eggs we get each day, and there were no eggs and no faux eggs either! So, I replaced the faux eggs with 3 golf balls.
Today my husband had been checking the box about every hour, and managed to snag the brown egg, but he had to go somewhere. I went out a bit ago to check for our green egg, and...EVERYTHING was gone again!! The golf balls were gone! I was SOOO mad! I looked around, and I found one of the golf balls a ways away from the coop under a bush, and then found another one near our front porch. Never did find the 3rd one. What is going on???
The nesting box is a small wooden crate that is set on end so they have to sit down into it (my older pullet kept pulling the hay out of it when I had it on its side) and it is about 12" deep and wide, and about 18" long. Would it be physically possible for a cat to get eggs/balls out of something like that?? I have never seen any other kind of animal on our property during the day other than cats. I thought maybe a snake, but I don't think a snake would leave the golf balls behind like that, would they??
Is there anything I can do? Help!!!
My chickens free range all day, so I can't keep their coop shut up otherwise they can't get in to lay, and they lay at random times during the day. I had been keeping some faux eggs in the nesting box to encourage the chickens to lay in it. Yesterday I went out to get our two eggs we get each day, and there were no eggs and no faux eggs either! So, I replaced the faux eggs with 3 golf balls.
Today my husband had been checking the box about every hour, and managed to snag the brown egg, but he had to go somewhere. I went out a bit ago to check for our green egg, and...EVERYTHING was gone again!! The golf balls were gone! I was SOOO mad! I looked around, and I found one of the golf balls a ways away from the coop under a bush, and then found another one near our front porch. Never did find the 3rd one. What is going on???
The nesting box is a small wooden crate that is set on end so they have to sit down into it (my older pullet kept pulling the hay out of it when I had it on its side) and it is about 12" deep and wide, and about 18" long. Would it be physically possible for a cat to get eggs/balls out of something like that?? I have never seen any other kind of animal on our property during the day other than cats. I thought maybe a snake, but I don't think a snake would leave the golf balls behind like that, would they??
Is there anything I can do? Help!!!