UPDATE-Help! Any ideas???

[willow]

Hey All-
I have a problem that just started a few weeks ago. Something is getting my eggs AND chickens

Okay- My girls have several places they lay eggs. One is in a 3 1/2 foot high shipping crate and another is in my breeding pens that are 4 1/2feet high. Both of those have been raided. All thats left is cruched shells. No yolk left at all! At the same time it also took the hen that was on the eggs- no sign of her and no feathers

I went into my silo room only to find a pile of RIR feathers but no hen??

Now, I did set a live trap that is big enough for big racoons and baited it with eggs. Well, the trap was sprung with the eggs gone BUT nothing was in the trap!! I think it was big enough to just scoot backwards when it sprung.

No tracks, it hasn't rained in awhile.

I have to figure this out because NONE of my birds will go in the barn at night. They are all sleeping under my big yard light. That includes my chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys.
Thanks

 

[needtohatch]

Was the trap tipped on its side? When we lived in Michigan I had coons that would tip the traps to get the bait where they could reach it without going in.

 

[willow]

Yes, it was on it's side. But the wire on the trap is very small. I don't think they could grab it. Of course with them anythings possible! Well, looks like I'm sitting in the barn tonight and waiting for the enemy to show up. No more buffet for him!

 

[lynxs1981]

Do the eggs look like they were broken open or kinda balled up like someone crushed them in their hand?

 

[willow]

The eggs are broken apart and all the yolk was gone. It looks like someone peeled a hard boiled egg. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

 

[aprophet]

If you can set the trap outside dig a hole in the ground put the bait in the hole center the trigger of the trap over the bait stake your trap down with either a piece of rebar or a coupla cinder blocks on top of it. good luck

 

[Stellarchick]

It might be a weasel. They are notorious for sucking eggs and escaping traps.. Just a thought

 

[willow]

Yeah, I've had weasels totally take out most of my flock last year. But they don't take the birds with them, don't they just kill and suck the blood??