The Case of the Disappearing Eggs

[headintheclouds]

Ok, so I had a broody hen, got some fertile eggs....


Put her in a large cage w/ a nest box in it. Didn't check under her that often (just looked enough to see eggs but didn't count them) because I thought she would appreciate being left alone. I did check to get a good look when I knew she was close to hatching, there were only three eggs left.

The holes in the cage are so small that an egg won't fit through, even if something could have reached through they could not have reached through and into the nest box. So, a mouse/rat? snake (not common here)? I don't think the hen ate them.

Nothing was disturbed, no food/water knocked over, no remnants whatsoever - like shell, egg goo or body parts.

I'm baffled about what would take the eggs, probably over time, without harming anything else or leaving any trace.

We have moved her and her small brood of 3 successfully hatched chicks to safer quarters - I assume the chicks would be in danger from the same critter.

Any ideas?? Besides "I should have checked more often" I realize that now, I could have stopped the problem sooner.

 

[Judy]

Actually my bet is, the other eggs were bad and she -- sorry -- ate them, shell and all. I have seen mine do it. Or she accidentally broke one and ate it. A broody will definitely clean up her nest. A rat or snake are possibilities, of course, but the broken or bad egg might be more common.

 

[headintheclouds]

Hmm, so she could tell if they were bad? That's amazing if she could eat it all up without a trace. Would it be normal for only 3-4 eggs to be good out of 13? Or maybe I got some bad eggs.