The Mystery of the Missing Egg

[LikeTurkeys]

Hello everyone!
Four days ago I gave my broody 6 eggs to sit on. Yesterday I candled them and they were all developing great. Each egg is marked with a number 1 through 6. Today, after removing all the unmarked eggs, I find that number 2 is missing! I candle the unmarked eggs just to make sure (and even candled all the ones in the refrigerator) and they're all clean. What happened to egg number 2?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Cryss]

Snake hiding in there somewher?

 

[EggWalrus]

I know!
It was Col. Mustard in the chicken library with an egg busting candlestick!

 

[EggWalrus]

I have heard of blowing out an eggshell, refilling it with mustard, and replacing it in the coop. They don't like the taste.

Mine all love a whataburger with mustard. Or pork roast with mustard.
Shoot!
Now I'm gonna have to do a test now to see if they will eat layer pellets with some mustard on them or maybe even mustard by itself.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Time to cl9se up any hole bigger than 1/2 inch.
You could get a camera and watch to see who the culprit is. Many here do. The cameras aren't really even expensive. If its a chicken you may need to cull it as they are difficult to get to stop. If it's something else you will know what you're dealing with and can take appropriate measures.

The mystery's been solved. Today another egg went missing from under the broody and I caught my lead hen eating it (out of the next box, just in the coop). Very disappointing. Overall my egg production has been severely down (been dealing with fowl pox and possibly something else recently) but this could also be it. Out of 6 laying hens not including the broody I only got 2 eggs today. You say that it is hard to stop? That is truly unfortunate. I'm going to separate the egg eater into another pen for a while and see what that does. Thanks everyone, I truly appreciate it.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

True. I'll wait a little bit more with her separated though before I take any serious action.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

I had egg eaters for years and the method I used was to wait till I heard them sing the egg laying song after they laid and I rushed inside to fetch the egg. It worked after doing this for weeks. Then they quit eating eggs. At first through I would see who was missing, look in coop and wait until she came out and I grabbed it. That is if your home all the time it can be done.

I am, but there is still the broody with her eggs to think about. I always try to collect the eggs as quickly as possible. I heard fake eggs can help discourage egg eating?

 

[Quackter]

Zoinks, Mr. Withers dress up as a rat and rolled it off to prevent the embryo inside from inheriting the haunted amusement park? Maybe the hen decided she couldn't keep it warm, or inadvertently broke it, and so she ate it?

 

[Pensmaster]

I've noticed. She is in a bucket nesting box, there is almost no room for other hens yet they still try to get themselves in. No, unfortunately I don't have a place where she can be by herself. Do you think the other hens broke it and ate it?

I don't know why she couldn't keep it warm; she doesn't have that many eggs. The latter I guess is possible, I thought there'd be more evidence though.

They may have. It’s possible when she gets off nest to relieve herself and drink they get in and lay more eggs At that point anything can happen. My broody started with 12 nice shaped eggs and ended with 9 smaller eggs. I ending up taking them at day 18 and finished in incubator due to the amount of other hens in coop. 2 chicks were the result of that hatch.

 

[MROO]

I know!
It was Col. Mustard in the chicken library with an egg busting candlestick!

No! It was Miss Plum in the kitchen with whatever was handy ... she makes a mean plum pudding, ya know!