Eggs have been disappearing at an alarming rate. We used to get 10-12 a day. Now its down to Zero. It started in May, oddly enough, this was also when we added some more members to our farm. Snakes? Rats? Now we know.
Elaine! Summer is seasonally when ALL of the egg-eating critters are out. Try checking on your eggs every 2 hours if you are home for the day and see what you find - that's how we figured out something was eating ours! We had a gaggle of kids that wouldn't leave the chicken coop alone and low and behold we got 10 eggs that day when we'd been getting NONE. We totally thought it was the heat and stuff because it happened last summer, too, even though we had no goat. Doing research it seems that everything from snakes to rats are summer seasonal egg thieves! Even crows will steal eggs. I would try to video tape or something and see what you come up with.
Eliane, I have also heard of putting flour down around the nest boxes or entrances to get critter footprints. Although, I would think the chickens would scratch most of it away.
no! i read a comment/blog from a lady who moved a compost pile and found that a rat family had been living in there. There were WHOLE EGGS in their nest! They had stolen and horded them. Also, I have seen a ton of gopher snakes on our property and they would be my next bet. One lady found one with THREE eggs in it's belly! The stories I was finding are insane.
We have had zero eggs as well, but no goat. Um, is your goat coming over to our house?
ReplyDeleteElaine! Summer is seasonally when ALL of the egg-eating critters are out. Try checking on your eggs every 2 hours if you are home for the day and see what you find - that's how we figured out something was eating ours! We had a gaggle of kids that wouldn't leave the chicken coop alone and low and behold we got 10 eggs that day when we'd been getting NONE. We totally thought it was the heat and stuff because it happened last summer, too, even though we had no goat. Doing research it seems that everything from snakes to rats are summer seasonal egg thieves! Even crows will steal eggs. I would try to video tape or something and see what you come up with.
ReplyDeleteEliane, I have also heard of putting flour down around the nest boxes or entrances to get critter footprints. Although, I would think the chickens would scratch most of it away.
ReplyDeleteOur coop is fort knox, so I'm not sure that's the deal. Besides, wouldn't we be seeing shell bits?
ReplyDeleteno! i read a comment/blog from a lady who moved a compost pile and found that a rat family had been living in there. There were WHOLE EGGS in their nest! They had stolen and horded them. Also, I have seen a ton of gopher snakes on our property and they would be my next bet. One lady found one with THREE eggs in it's belly! The stories I was finding are insane.
ReplyDelete