What ate this egg?

[wild chick]

Is this what an egg looks like when it's been eaten by a chicken, a rat or a snake or something else? I've had chickens for 6 years now and never saw this. I would think if a chicken was going to eat an egg they would not go at the end like that since the egg would be on its side, but maybe I'm wrong? The chickens have about 1/4 acre paddock, so the coop and egg nests are accessible to any small creature, but surrounded by hot wire so no cats/bobcats, dogs/coyotes. This happened during the daytime.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Skunk, possum, similar are all known for punching a hole and licking out the insides. I suspect, but don't know for certain, that palm rats do the same - I'm dealing with those now, though they tend towards more activity at night.

Good luck in your predator hunt

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

That's really interesting.

 

[drmolarmagic]

We had a possum issue last week and now reading this and adding up the "clues" I should have realized it. A week ago I found an egg punched out and eaten like that, also a day later the feed bin was eaten clean and then last Monday I caught the little bugger and it ate one of my doves. I've gotten rid of it, I caught it and euthanized it with Ether. But if I didn't come out in the morning and hear it banging around and actually saw it I wouldn't have known. I also spent half the next day pulling the walls down and closing up any spots it may have gotten in.

 

[wild chick]

No critters can get in the fenced area where the coop is that is skunk/possum size or larger. It is chainlink with hot wire from 3" above the dirt to the top level of the 6' fence. We did this to keep a bobcat from climbing over and that cat hasn't been back in over a year. We have pack rats and ground squirrels, snakes and lizards, mice... and chickens. We could have mink/ferret family types but I would think those would investigate at night and kill the chickens, not suck eggs in the day. I'm in the SW desert at 6400' elevation, forested but dry. I've never seen a raccoon or possum here - I'm stumped. Thanks for your input, hoping for more!

 

[Folly's place]

The year we had rats in the coop they took eggs behind the nest boxes and left pieces of egg shell. they also killed three nice bantam pullets at night, decapitated them. War ensued, with insulated walls removed, poison bait in bait stations, and no more rats.
Our coop was very secure except for the tunnels made by that rat family, which we took care of before a weasel arrived.
Mary

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I had a hen who ate eggs just like that