Vultures taking eggs?

[Jacob Duckman]

I've noticed a lot of vultures flying around since my ducks started laying eggs. A few have landed in trees nearby and they seem to be eyeing the eggs. Has anyone had experience with Vultures

taking eggs?

 

[itspebbl]

I have not heard of a vulture taking eggs before, so I think you are fine! Some animals that might steal your eggs are snakes, rats, skunks and maybe possums. Just watch out for those animals!

 

[Zoomie]

Vultures like things that are safely dead. To find those things, they will often watch things that are currently alive. Although they are opportunistic like most predators, I doubt they are after the eggs.

That said... I had **magpies** steal eggs. Unknown to the magpies, the hens were too young to lay yet, so they were actually stealing the wooden dummy eggs.

Hilarious - I would find the wooden dummy eggs out in the woods where the frustrated magpie had eventually given up on it. This clued me in to the fact the magpies were going in the coop during the day, so I built a baffle on the door. The magpies apparently didn't want to go in there without a direct line of sight both going in and getting out, so they stayed out after that.

 

[Jacob Duckman]

Thanks

Vultures like things that are safely dead. To find those things, they will often watch things that are currently alive. Although they are opportunistic like most predators, I doubt they are after the eggs.

That said... I had **magpies** steal eggs. Unknown to the magpies, the hens were too young to lay yet, so they were actually stealing the wooden dummy eggs.

Hilarious - I would find the wooden dummy eggs out in the woods where the frustrated magpie had eventually given up on it. This clued me in to the fact the magpies were going in the coop during the day, so I built a baffle on the door. The magpies apparently didn't want to go in there without a direct line of sight both going in and getting out, so they stayed out after that.

Thanks for the info. The way they fly in so low over the coop really alarmed me. There are a lot of hawks and eagles in my area too, but the vultures outnumber them by far

 

[azygous]

Are you sure they weren't inspecting you for signs of life? Better keep moving or be mistaken for a dead thing!

 

[aart]

From what I've read, black vultures are more likely to take live prey...tho turkey vultures might if an opportunity easily arises.
Eggs not a target for vultures I wouldn't think.

 

[Jacob Duckman]

perhaps i've skipped one too many showers lol

 

[Jacob Duckman]

From what I've read, black vultures are more likely to take live prey...tho turkey vultures might if an opportunity easily arises.
Eggs not a target for vultures I wouldn't think.

I have come across the same information. But it looks like according to chicken and duck owners on this forum, no one has actually seen a vulture kill a live prey... I wonder what the real deal is

 

[aart]

Quote: Possible, but highly improbable.

 

[Zoomie]

This is my experience with vultures right in my yard. The local vultures are turkey vultures. I was trapping pigeons out of my barn and I would put the dead pigeon on a big tall rock in the back yard, as a "bird feeder". (Hey, hawks, eagles, and vultures are birds, right?) The turkey vultures actually came and roosted on a high post above the dead pigeons but could never get up the nerve to actually fly down and take them. I've also seen them, many times, approaching a dead animal and again they are extremely cautious, jumping back and flying away at the slightest little thing. In the end, a goshawk took a pigeon from my "bird feeder" and the foxes got the rest that night. It was very awesome to see a turkey vulture that close; I usually have to observe them from farther away, but that one came right to the backyard and I was only a matter of 50 feet away or so.

But I just can't see them stealing eggs. They are not really wired that way.