up here in lalaland ~ Tennessee here we come!

[lalaland]

so, been having that problem with egg thieving egg eating chickens.

caught some of them eating some.

can't/wont cull.

found some ceramic eggs, baited all the nests with them. helps a little, but not totally.

getting more eggs, especially if home to collect frequently.

if get home after 10 pm, there are NO eggs

today, to my total astonishment, one of the nests was missing its ceramic egg and had the remains of another egg in it, with smashed eggshell - not cracked, smashed.

couldn't find the ceramic egg anywhere -

found it outside in the chicken yard. About 6 feet from the entrance to the coop, which is about 6 feet from the nests.

What do you think? I find it hard to believe the hens would roll that ceramic egg out of the nests - there is quite a lip on them.

 

[Javamama]

I think you have a 4 legged critter to catch.

 

[freemotion]

Got rats? They will take eggs.

 

[justusnak]

I have to agree with Free.....Rats!! Set you some traps....Ewww, I cant STAND Rats!!!

 

[lalaland]

really? can a rat carry an egg? I was wondering if maybe it could be a skunk, given that there has been skunk smell around.

I did an internet search on rats, since the last time I saw a rat was in 1976 ( yeah, yeah, yeah, I know some of you weren't even born then) - wouldn't there be droppings or something?

do you catch rats in live traps? surely a little mouse trap wouldn't work.

sometimes my ignorance overwhelms me.

 

[freemotion]

Rats can carry eggs. I find eggs under the pallets in my hay storage area and I know the hens didn't lay them there! I handle them VERRRRY carefully since I don't know how old they are!

How to trap them depends on what variety you have. I have Einstein rats. So now I am rotating killing methods as they learn very quickly to avoid whatever got their cousin/brother/parent/offspring. The best method was the two female feral cats I got, but like all outdoor cats in my neighborhood, they didn't last. Cars in front, coyotes in the back. They lasted 8-9 months or so. Caught a lot of rats in that time.

The most rats I've killed accidentally drowned in water buckets set out for my other animals! I think the grand total was 11-12 drowned rats. I hate rats. We never had a problem until someone demolished two abandoned houses across the street. We have been infested ever since. Having chickens means having a steady supply of rat food.

Rats kill chicks, too.

Did I mention that I hate rats???

 

[freemotion]

For my rats, live traps are useless (I didn't try them for rats, but had set them before thinking I had a squirrel at first.) Big rat-sized snap traps caught a couple...but you have to secure the trap with a piece of wire or the whole thing will disappear.

One Bite bait bars work great, but you have to keep that from your other animals. After a while, the rats won't take it. Other baits were useless. I have to scan for rats before any dogs or chickens find it and eat it.

Glue boards were absolutely useless.

I think popcorn sprayed with blue antifreeze got a few babies. That one made me nervous, since other animals could've eaten it.

We seem to be rat-free right now....maybe the battle is won! It has been a year or two. I couldn't milk or clean the barn at night without rats running across my feet! It was horrifying. We leave NO feed accessible, and I've been scattering feed for my hens twice a day and not leaving filled feeders for them.

Yikes. Take care of it, FAST.

 

[Blackbird]

If you have gopher traps, the pan kind, find the rat's hole, and put the trap directly in front, sprinkle with a little dirt to cover up your scent, and good luck! That is how we got rid of all of our rats. Make sure it's not in an area where chickens, cats, etc. can get caught it in.
We've caught two in one trap before. It's also not uncommon to find a trap with just a tail or leg in it, they'll sometimes eat off their body parts to escape.

 

[AL]

we set a small live trap with an apple smeared in peanut butter, then my dad shot the rat while still in the trap. I have another one though, my Lab keeps scratching at a piece of tin in the yard but there is no sign of rodents there.... but I did find an egg in a cozy little feather and fur nest under a box.... no chicken could get under that box!

 

[TanksHill]

We buy these big old honken plastic snap traps at Home Depot. Put them where the dog, cat, chicken won't go. We tie a string to it. Like said before it will disappear if you don't. Check it pretty regularly. We had a dead one and my dh saw it in the morning when he left for work. He didn't want to deal with it. It was gone when he got home.

They are easy to set, not like a mouse trap that never stays. Bait it with meat.

Good luck.

g

ps. They run about 10 bucks so you will need to be brave enough to empty it. Not a throw away trap.