What might be getting my eggs?

[BaaKaaawk]

So this is what I found today. Yesterday no hens layed in that nest box. Today the plastic nest egg was on the ground of the coop with bite marks and indentations (pretty hard to dent these eggs). It is almost like one nest box is being targeted at a time. I still don’t think it could be chickens for I’ve had that problem years ago and no what it looks like. It is almost like it comes in between 8 AM and noon. My chicken door is automatic 8” x 11” opening 1 foot off the ground.

Would a raccoon be so bold in daytime? I’m going to put my porcelain eggs in and let it break a tooth. Picture is different side of same nest egg.

If those eggs are as hard as you say they are you can rule out mice. Raccoons are seldom out in the day, but Rats are. You said you are in FL... there are other small mammals there too like muskrats. I think the only way you are going to solve exactly who it is, you are going to need to watch all day or get a game camera.

Nice thing is you can rule out chickens at this point unless your hens have sharp little teeth!

 

[cmom]

I live in Florida too near Ocala. This is what I use and they work great. Only the rats and mice can get to the poison bait and you can check the bait through the little window on top of the rat bait box. I put them in my barn which is behind my coops. If the rats get in the coops I'm sure they are in my barn too. The bait that came with the rat bait box didn't work as well as the other bait I bought. The rats generally dig tunnels and will go down in the tunnels and die. I had a coop that was infested. I moved the birds to another coop and when I started renovating the infested one, rats came out of everywhere. They were jumping and scurrying all over. Some nearly landed on me so I got the bait boxes and some bait. There were dozens of rats.

 

[aderenzo]

Yesterday they hit all the fake nest eggs in all the boxes with little teeth marks. I set up a field camera and waiting to catch them. I’m afraid it might be squirrels. Will post pic when I get one.

 

[getaclue]

I use the Ramik baits.