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Eggs disappear #7142053
01/17/21 10:41 PM
01/17/21 10:41 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,108
mo.
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nate Offline OP
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nate  Offline OP
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mo.
Into thin air. Do barn rats carry off eggs? Anyway to catch them w/ chicken running loose? I don't see signs of rats but nothing else could get in there.

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7142088
01/17/21 10:56 PM
01/17/21 10:56 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,165
Central NC
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traprjohn Offline
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traprjohn  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,165
Central NC
Snakes used to get ours.


www.sevenoakstrappingsupplies.com for trap mods and gear
The 10 Commandments are not suggestions.
Buy a soldiers meal EVERY chance you can.

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7142114
01/17/21 11:05 PM
01/17/21 11:05 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,108
mo.
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nate Offline OP
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nate  Offline OP
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mo.
It's in the low 30s day 20s at night figure it's two cold for them

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7142135
01/17/21 11:19 PM
01/17/21 11:19 PM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 4,244
East Texas
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BTLowry Offline
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BTLowry  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 4,244
East Texas
Rats can get them

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: BTLowry] #7142301
01/18/21 02:38 AM
01/18/21 02:38 AM
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 34
ND
S
Silage Offline
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Silage  Offline
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Posts: 34
ND
Is it possible that the chickens are eating them. I'm having the same problem now.

I also had our big dogs take them.

You can use weasel boxes to catch rats without harming chickens. Use rat traps in them or the sticky pads.

Since I've gotten guineas I don't have any rodent problems near the coop. They are also good at keeping away snakes.

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7142307
01/18/21 03:12 AM
01/18/21 03:12 AM
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 69
Qld Au
Rhino1 Offline
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Rhino1  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 69
Qld Au
We had crows stealing our eggs, owning a trail camera or 2 has solved a lot of mysteries on our little farm.


"As far as I can tell, my place is right here..on the smart end of this rifle."
Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7142406
01/18/21 08:36 AM
01/18/21 08:36 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,663
S.E. Ohio
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M.Magis Offline
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M.Magis  Offline
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S.E. Ohio
You've most likely got an egg eating chicken.

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7142434
01/18/21 09:16 AM
01/18/21 09:16 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,108
mo.
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nate Offline OP
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mo.
Silage
Very good ideal. You put like a 2 inch hole in it?

Don't think it's chicken cause I have left them in the evening and they disappear at night as well as day. But it's very random.

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7142454
01/18/21 09:40 AM
01/18/21 09:40 AM
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 17
South Carolina
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GrouseMan1 Offline
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South Carolina
Hey Nate. I’m an avian biologist. Usually when we’re monitoring wild bird eggs and they go completely “missing” with no cracked shells or evidence of where they have gone, it’s snakes. In the field, they take anywhere from 1 or 2 eggs, to a whole clutch at a time.

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7142456
01/18/21 09:45 AM
01/18/21 09:45 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,108
mo.
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nate Offline OP
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nate  Offline OP
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mo.
Grouseman
Can snakes stay active in mid 30 temperature?

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7142486
01/18/21 10:09 AM
01/18/21 10:09 AM
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 17
South Carolina
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GrouseMan1 Offline
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South Carolina
Just found your comment where you mentioned the temperature before. I missed that! Usually they’re only active in the winter during a warm spell, otherwise they’re in brumation.

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7142682
01/18/21 12:23 PM
01/18/21 12:23 PM
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,207
Missouri
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HayDay Offline
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HayDay  Offline
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Posts: 2,207
Missouri
Gets to be a process of elimination. Take what you know and eliminate what is not possible.

Snakes in MO in Jan is not possible.

If eggs are there at dusk and gone in the morning, while chickens are on the roost, not chickens. But only during daytime, chickens eating them is very much a possibility. And bad to have one that does. Hard habit to break.

If chickens in a house that blocks out dogs, skunks, possum, coon or any similar at night, and eggs go missing during the night, not any of those.

Then there are rats. Can get into what looks like a tight house and will eat eggs anytime. If you have a colony of rats, problem is bigger than trapping a few is gonna solve.

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: M.Magis] #7142807
01/18/21 01:37 PM
01/18/21 01:37 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 41,592
Northern Maine
Bruce T Offline
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Bruce T  Offline
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Northern Maine
Originally Posted by M.Magis
You've most likely got an egg eating chicken.

X2


Nevada bound
Re: Eggs disappear [Re: HayDay] #7142975
01/18/21 03:17 PM
01/18/21 03:17 PM
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 34
ND
S
Silage Offline
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Silage  Offline
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Posts: 34
ND
Yes i think it's a 2" hole. I also make the box big enough for 2 traps back to back. Even when going after weasels I have a lot of snapped traps or mice caught in the traps. If you use sticky pads in the boxes use the better ones cause rats can sometimes pull out of them.

Sticky pads in weasel boxes are the best mouse traps when other animals are around. Like poultry, rabbits and other pets or livestock.

If your coop is shut up tight at night and there is no place that anything can get in, I'll say it's your own chickens. Rats and snakes still need a hole or space to get in. Probably about the size of a small egg at least. Rats would need a bigger hole to leave with the egg. If you look hard enough you should find evidence of some kind. If your coop isn't shut up tight then it could be anything. Even cats or wild birds. Cats don't eat the shells or leave with the whole egg.

Back to your chickens eating the eggs. They will eat everything. Sometimes all I've found is a wet spot. OR a small piece of shell. This morning I found an egg with a quarter sized hole in it and all the insides gone. It's a hard problem to solve. Or you have to find an get rid of the culprit/culprits. Thats the point im at. Tried everything else. Fake eggs, golf balls, darken the coop/nest area, higher protein diet. Collect eggs multiple times a day.

Good luck to you

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: Silage] #7143217
01/18/21 05:34 PM
01/18/21 05:34 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,297
East-Central Wisconsin
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bblwi Offline
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East-Central Wisconsin
I don't feel your eggs are being carried out whole, especially if you feel it is barn rats. They are not going to successfully get an egg that size out without breaking it. Yes chickens do eat eggs and they will eat the shell and all, especially if they are short of calcium, grit etc. You could do some investigating as to do the eggs go missing from specific nest boxes or randomly from boxes, floor etc. As a youth we had a lot of laying hens and we sold eggs for income. We would catch large bull snakes often in a box half full of eggs but never in cold weather. If you keep your coop warm or have places that stay warm you may have some cold blooded species becoming active if temps get to warm levels. To me rats would also be eating the grain and other predators would be interested in your flock so to me you have a chicken or chickens issue and they make good soup.

Bryce

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7143446
01/18/21 07:27 PM
01/18/21 07:27 PM
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,383
Central Ohio
LT GREY Offline
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LT GREY  Offline
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Posts: 17,383
Central Ohio
Originally Posted by nate
Into thin air. Do barn rats carry off eggs? Anyway to catch them w/ chicken running loose? I don't see signs of rats but nothing else could get in there.



You better believe they do !

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: LT GREY] #7143519
01/18/21 07:53 PM
01/18/21 07:53 PM
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 34
ND
S
Silage Offline
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Silage  Offline
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Posts: 34
ND
LT GREY
Just asking but how do rats carry off eggs? Especially from elevated nest boxes. I know that they will and do roll the eggs. But how in a closed/shut tight coop without evidence.
How big are your rats.

I'd agree that a rat could carry off a broken egg. And that a rat would eat an egg in the coop. But I also believe that it would leave some evidence at some point. And an egg sized escape hole or opening would be easy to find.
.

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7143562
01/18/21 08:09 PM
01/18/21 08:09 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,108
mo.
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nate Offline OP
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nate  Offline OP
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mo.
Well found a egg with a hole in it. So may be a chicken. Maybe? Still not sure very random. Its hard to fish out a random killer.(egg eater)

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7143589
01/18/21 08:18 PM
01/18/21 08:18 PM
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,383
Central Ohio
LT GREY Offline
trapper
LT GREY  Offline
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,383
Central Ohio
Q : How much calcium do you feed your birds ?

When birds lay eggs, they lose calcium and can eat crushed egg shell, to regain it back, that's just a fact.
Perhaps, that could be your problem. . .and I say, "could".
I invite you to get and feed 'crushed oyster shell ' to any and all birds laying eggs. I keep it with mine at all times.

Now, to answer your question :
A) They gnaw a hole in the pointed end and after eating some of the egg, are able to hold it in their teeth and carry it off.

Re: Eggs disappear [Re: nate] #7143735
01/18/21 09:05 PM
01/18/21 09:05 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,663
S.E. Ohio
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M.Magis Offline
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M.Magis  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2007
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S.E. Ohio
Most egg eater start because they’re bored and just pecking things. Then once they learn what’s inside, it continues. All commercial feeds have plenty of calcium, if I’m not mistake the low calcium/egg eating chicken thing was an old wives tale. Its tough to find the one starting it, once an egg is broken they’ll all eat at it. You’ll find lots of ideas online. My best option was not letting the eggs sit in the boxes long. Check multiple times per day if possible.

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