Whats in my coop?

[LisPrissy]

Ok, so some help needed please.. Over the past week we have had our eggs disappear and occasionally broken ones. Our girls are in a coop with a roof so i don’t think flying predators and idk what else could get in because its very secure. Any ideas??

 

[HuskerHens18]

Could your own chickens be crushing and eating them?

 

[LisPrissy]

Im not sure. We have not observed anything yet. Im going to sprinkle baby powder around the coop to see if i can catch some tracks. We have had our girls for about 3 years now and have never had an issue. What will make them eat their own eggs

 

[staceyj]

Without pictures there’s no way to tell!

Could it be that some aren’t laying to begin with because it’s molting season?
My girls are on strike and look like porcupines.

Do you leave eggs in your coop over night?

 

[LisPrissy]

Without pictures there’s no way to tell!

Could it be that some aren’t laying to begin with because it’s molting season?
My girls are on strike and look like porcupines.

Do you leave eggs in your coop over night

Without pictures there’s no way to tell!

Could it be that some aren’t laying to begin with because it’s molting season?
My girls are on strike and look like porcupines.

Do you leave eggs in your coop over night?

sometimes we do leave them in overnight.

 

[50-45-1]

What are you feeding them?
Broken eggs can be a hen breaking them to ear them, which sometimes starts because of eggs being left in the nest to long or soft shells. Do you have free choice oyster shell avaliable to keep the egg shells thick?
Not sure where you are located but snakes and rats eat chicken eggs, if your hens are not the culprit.
Also like stated above when chickens molt, most stop laying. How old are your hens?
It could be they are not being eaten but not getting laid in the first place.

 

[LisPrissy]

I live in Maryland. We stopped given them oysters shells about a year ago because they were getting, what someone told me, was too much calcium because they had hard bumps on some of their eggs. Not molting and up until last week, laying like crazy. Over a four day period, no eggs only two cracked ones on different days. Our girls are getting older but I figured the eggs would slow not completely stop. I’m not sure but I was worried about snakes didn’t see any squiggle patterns on the floor of the coop though.

What are you feeding them?
Broken eggs can be a hen breaking them to ear them, which sometimes starts because of eggs being left in the nest to long or soft shells. Do you have free choice oyster shell avaliable to keep the egg shells thick?
Not sure where you are located but snakes and rats eat chicken eggs, if your hens are not the culprit.
Also like stated above when chickens molt, most stop laying. How old are your hens?
It could be they are not being eaten but not getting laid in the first place.

 

[LisPrissy]

Tomorrow I will go to TSC and get some oyster shells and see if that starts to help

 

[Folly's place]

They should have oyster shell available, and will eat only what they actually need. What are they eating?
My birds are molting, and egg production is down right now. They will eat broken eggs if the shells are too thin, or maybe you do have an outside egg eater. Rats or snakes fit the profile.
Mary

 

[LisPrissy]

They should have oyster shell available, and will eat only what they actually need. What are they eating?
My birds are molting, and egg production is down right now. They will eat broken eggs if the shells are too thin, or maybe you do have an outside egg eater. Rats or snakes fit the profile.
Mary

They eat Purina Layena crumbles, cracked corn and any treats we give them. Also, they get plenty of grass. Ugh...the idea of rats makes my skin crawl