What could be eating the eggs?

[tabatha_westcott]

Maybe it's the ducks? My chickens eat their own eggs sometimes

 

[TheDuckCrew]

i thought it was the ducks, until last night the egg got eaten the SAME way it was in the house, but i had left the egg outside by accident. oops. there is a small opening in the door where its been warped and pushed out by the wheel to move the house. its not big and i have a brick to try to keep anything from getting in, but its big enough for a mouse. not a fox, raccoon or anything. too small for them.

 

[equus2]

Had same happen last summer. I thought the girls had stopped laying. Or that a neighbor jid was helping himself! No shells, no trace of anything.

We found a small hole that had been chewed in the corner of the shed. We patched it and started collecting our 3-4 eggs a day the following day. Never knew if it was skunk or rat.

 

[nzpouter]

"killing them is not an option"..... why?

 

[emilyweck]

MICE!

 

[TheDuckCrew]

Quote:
because i don't believe in killing them. if something had gotten in and killed my ducks, they'd be in the ground in seconds. but whatever it is isn't harming them and must be very small. its just trying to survive. its my fault if they are getting in there, and i should fix it without harming them.

 

[Chicken Dave]

skunks, racoons, weasels, there are lots of things that would eat them. I would check for any opening in the coop that would let something get in.

 

[Mahlzeit]

My guess would have been rats but since you say you have none there probably mice.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
because i don't believe in killing them. if something had gotten in and killed my ducks, they'd be in the ground in seconds. but whatever it is isn't harming them and must be very small. its just trying to survive. its my fault if they are getting in there, and i should fix it without harming them.

But if you don't kill them, and continue to FEED them (the eggs) then they are just going to reproduce and become an infestation like you said happened at your old house.

 

[nzpouter]

Quote:
because i don't believe in killing them. if something had gotten in and killed my ducks, they'd be in the ground in seconds. but whatever it is isn't harming them and must be very small. its just trying to survive. its my fault if they are getting in there, and i should fix it without harming them.

A rat can squeeze in a gap under 1/2" in height.... and they can easily kill your ducks..

I have the experience with them killing pigeons and chickens, they don't eat them, just rip the crop open to eat the grain inside and leave the bird to die, came back every night and kill one each visit, until we got it.