Ugh newbies

[Askme42]

found my 3rd smashed egg this evening. Someone keeps laying while she's on the roost and the concrete floor is not forgiving.


I'll preface this by saying in hindsight probably not my best decision ever. So the few eggs i had gotten over the last week had all been on the ground. To encourage them to use the boxes today I put a few white eggs from the house in there.

Well went by this evening and found a brown egg actually in the nest sitting next to a white egg. However the other nest that I had put two eggs in had zero eggs in it. Including the two eggs I put in there this morning.....

 

[rIrs roost]

found my 3rd smashed egg this evening. Someone keeps laying while she's on the roost and the concrete floor is not forgiving.


I'll preface this by saying in hindsight probably not my best decision ever. So the few eggs i had gotten over the last week had all been on the ground. To encourage them to use the boxes today I put a few white eggs from the house in there.

Well went by this evening and found a brown egg actually in the nest sitting next to a white egg. However the other nest that I had put two eggs in had zero eggs in it. Including the two eggs I put in there this morning.....

Welcome to byc. Are they eating eggs? Any shells laying around? Could also be a snake eating them.

 

[Askme42]

Welcome to byc. Are they eating eggs? Any shells laying around? Could also be a snake eating them.

This is my fear but I'm not sure. I found one shell late last week laying on the ground that looked like maybe someone ate it. But even the ones being layed from the roost that are cracked all open no one has touched them even though they sit there a good awhile.

I'm just not sure what's going on.

 

[rIrs roost]

This is my fear but I'm not sure. I found one shell late last week laying on the ground that looked like maybe someone ate it. But even the ones being layed from the roost that are cracked all open no one has touched them even though they sit there a good awhile.

I'm just not sure what's going on.

Sounds like it could be a snake if the egg is completely gone.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Put in fake eggs. Chickens aren't bright. I have a saltshaker in one nest box and an old Advil bottle with the label removed a few coins in it in the other. Golfballs work too. If a snake eats something like that they won't be back for another anytime soon!

 

[Askme42]

Sounds like it could be a snake if the egg is completely gone.

It was dark and late so I didn't exactly comb over real close but I'm
Going to have to keep an eye on them this weekend.


Figuring out what's going on while leaving for work at 7:30 am and getting home at 10 pm can be challenging.

 

[Askme42]

Put in fake eggs. Chickens aren't bright. I have a saltshaker in one nest box and an old Advil bottle with the label removed a few coins in it in the other. Golfballs work too. If a snake eats something like that they won't be back for another anytime soon!

Like I said not the smartest decision I ever made lol.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Hey, you're at least bright enough to tell the golfballs from the real eggs. That's beyond the capacity of the chickens! XD

 

[Askme42]

So found an egg busted up and eaten on the coop floor today.


I'd say the evidence that I have an egg eater is strong at this point. Now what do I do? How do I find out who the culprit is?

 

[aart]

So found an egg busted up and eaten on the coop floor today.


I'd say the evidence that I have an egg eater is strong at this point. Now what do I do? How do I find out who the culprit is?

Was the shell there....was it thin?
Thin and soft shelled eggs, common with new layers are fair game for eating IMO,
and won't necessarily lead to a habit of breaking solid shells for eating,
tho it is best to try to grab these asap to deter a possible bad habit,
hard to do that working your hours.