Missing egg mystery

[Melancholy Bear]

Do you use shavings in the coop? The eggs could be buried in those. Our girls were kicking eggs out of the nest boxes until we increased the height of the front board. It took me a while to find one of the fake eggs. It was buried on the other side of the coop

The coop has hardware cloth floor, so no shavings in the main area. Minimal shavings in the nesting boxes.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

We have no children and my wife is as stumped as me. I had a trail cam directly above the nesting box with the marked eggs. The images of the eggs were mostly obscured with the hens. I thought one was being eaten until a ceramic egg disappeared.

Did a real egg or a ceramic egg reappear?

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I had two eggs missing recently then these two slithering bandits were caught in the run last evening. Two hens were stalking it- the rooster was outside cowering with the other chickens.
I suspect you have/had a snake, but they usually don’t come back to make a return.
Chickens moving eggs to and from is possible if you have floor nests. I don’t see how they would be able to move eggs from a raised nest (chicken fingers don’t really exist).

 

[aart]

The coop has hardware cloth floor, so no shavings in the main area. Minimal shavings in the nesting boxes.

Are the nests close to the floor?
A snake could regurgitate a fake egg, but probably not 2 days later, would be more likely to happen right away.

 

[Saveria]

I had two eggs missing recently then these two slithering bandits were caught in the run last evening. Two hens were stalking it- the rooster was outside cowering with the other chickens.
I suspect you have/had a snake, but they usually don’t come back to make a return.
Chickens moving eggs to and from is possible if you have floor nests. I don’t see how they would be able to move eggs from a raised nest (chicken fingers don’t really exist).
View attachment 3525283

I think we may need to get a hardware cloth apron on that run, unless you also wanted snakes as well as chickens.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I think we may need to get a hardware cloth apron on that run, unless you also wanted snakes as well as chickens.

No on the snakes- I get too creeped out by things that slithers, have more than 4 legs or land dwelling creatures lacking a backbone.

I have a HC apron. It’s been so hot that I opened a ground level door on the side of the run. They had to have gotten in that way.

 

[Saveria]

No on the snakes- I get too creeped out by things that slithers, have more than 4 legs or land dwelling creatures lacking a backbone.

I have a HC apron. It’s been so hot that I opened a ground level door on the side of the run. They had to have gotten in that way.

Wow, it was like they were waiting for it to open.

I wish I was closer to you, my daughter would give those snakes a home, but maybe more would just show up.

 

[Ridgerunner]

But once, a marked egg that disappeared reappeared a couple days later. I have started collecting eggs several times throughout the day.

Did it reappear in the nest or somewhere else? This is the one that really has me stumped.

How many total eggs have gone missing, including the ceramic one?

The coop has hardware cloth floor, so no shavings in the main area. Minimal shavings in the nesting boxes.

I'm as stumped as you. Could you post a few photos of that area? Maybe something will offer a clue.

 

[Melancholy Bear]

Did a real egg or a ceramic egg reappear?

Real

 

[Melancholy Bear]

Are the nests close to the floor?
A snake could regurgitate a fake egg, but probably not 2 days later, would be more likely to happen right away.

No, they are roughly 32-inches off the ground. The floor of the coop is 24-inches off the ground. Nesting boxes are 8-inches above the floor of the coop.