The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Dans on April 23, 2016, 01:18:08 am
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Hi all,
I'm back with more questions! I'm wondering if I have an egg thief at work. We came back from a weekend away and found an egg on the ground outside the hen house. No sign of damage at all, but out sitter said it wasn't there when she did a last check before she left, so it was either laid there or moved in daylight.
The next day I looked out the window and saw an egg in the middle of the lawn. Again undamaged. Now for 2 days we are down 1 egg. Is it possible that the others were taken from the nest box by an egg thief that our cockerel saw off? And that the last 2 days he hasn't managed to see off said thief?
I also found this egg shell (hopefully attached) in the field near the chickens. It's not one of ours, could it be the same culprit stealing wild bird eggs? Any ideas as to what could move the eggs without damaging them?
Thanks
Dans
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If the egg is undamaged on the ground it is unlikely a crow or magpie (the most common egg thieves), but more likely a hen that either doesn't like the nest box (any sign of red mite?), or is still a newcomer to laying and doesn't get to the box in time...
Our cockerels usually don't bother with chasing the crows away, sadly...
If your egg numbers are down though you may well have a crow that has worked out where to go for breakfast...
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Rats can take eggs too. The one outside the nest box may have been kicked out as dud or accidentally, and possibly the other was laid there accidentally?
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I've seen hens lay in front of me outside of the coop-when there's been someone in their favourite nest box. If they are young as well, times and places cn be a bit all over the place. It could also be any of those things mentioned-although I've never seen a crow drop an egg but they do fly away with them.
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I guess an impatient layer then. It was a good distance from the nest box. (Nest box is at the back of a 6ft x 8ft shed opposite corner to the pop hole and then egg was maybe 4m away from the pop hole.)
We are having slight issue with nest boxes in that we bought some external nest boxes from eBay but the tounge and groove lid leaks which has put the chickens off using them. We have an impromptu ikea plastic box serving as a nest box in the house but 5 hens using it.
The hens started laying in Feb so a bit young.
Will keep my fingers crossed that that is the issue and get some felt over the nest boxes today. See if the chickens will start using them!
Would crows, magpies and rats leave a mess if they were stealing or take the whole egg with them?
Thanks again
Dans
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If you staple an old plastic feed sack over the leaking roof it'll last for a season. Crows sometimes take whole eggs somewhere safer to eat them. If it's a confused layer make sure you collect the eggs promptly or the crows and magpies will spot them and you'll be first call on their breakfast list.
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We've had crows taking lots of eggs this spring, we've seen them flying away with them in their beaks.
Yesterday I put 3 eggs in an Eglu coop to see if our old Silkie would get broody for hatching eggs. I went back a couple of hours later and all 3 eggs were gone, no trace at all. I'm guessing it's crows again!
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How do you stop crows from getting eggs from in the house. The eggs that we are missing are a different breed from the ones we found outside the hen house but she is one who tended to lay outside.
Dans
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I found today that I've had at least two goose eggs taken. >:( I cannot imagine that was anything but human and it'll serve them right because they had been there about a month, but they probably got a couple of nice fresh ones too. Happens every year, usually on a Friday night and is the problem with having such remote fields.
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I've seen stoats rolling goose eggs away. Mags and crows can deal with goose eggs
Could you put straps of rubber or thick plastic hanging over the doors? Like over the front of walk in fridges?
Not sure on scale but could the photo be of a pheasants egg? Hatched?
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Our geese were nesting by the road and worried about egg thefts but then thought well done for getting near lol. One of our geese is sitting on two freshly laid eggs (hers and her sister's) but I can't get near tonight.
Could well be a pheasant egg, we do have them around, no nest near though but could be dropped by a thief.
Dans