What could be stealing my dummy nest eggs?

[chickathon]

For the past month I have been occationally losing my dummy nest eggs. There are raccoons around but I think they are too smart for that. Could it be a snake? I am puzzled. I know opposums are stupid. But are they that stupid? Any ideas? This happen to anyone else? Thanks before hand for any answers.

 

[MEchickenfarmer33]

yes most definitly not a raccoon because you would have had chickens killed. some animals that steal eggs are snakes, possums, rats, and skunks. skunks would obviously leave behind their tell tale odor so unless you smell skunks their not your problem either. possums are weird when it comes to chickens because i have seen a video of possums laying in the chicken nest while theres chickens pecking it and hanging around it. so your main suspects would be possums snakes or rats.

P.S if you want to see the possum video go to youtube and type in opossum in chicken coop and it should be there

hope your problem is resolved!!!

 

[lava]

We've lost a bunch of dummy eggs at a time (6 in one night and 3 in another) and real eggs and adult chickens too, so not the same problem as you. We suspect foxes with babies--we've seen what look like fox tracks and heard something making a freaky noise at night (and I've listened to more wildlife sounds than I care to name on youtube and the like and it doesn't sound like anything I've found).

My understanding (I did a lot of research as to what would be stupid enough to steal lots of ceramic eggs) is that snakes will usually steel one at a time of so, and that it does kill them, so that sounds more like your problem.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've found snakes in the coop with golf balls inside them. The golf balls did not allow the snakes to get back out the hole they came in. I've also had a snake eat the real eggs out from under a broody hen, four one time and her last two about three days later. Most of those snake visits were at night, but some were in the middle of the day.