4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Electricbarbarella]

Another egg has completly disappeared, we are down to 5 eggs, but the weird thing is I cant find any evidence that the other eggs even existed, will hufflepuff be eating them? If so is it because they are not viable or do I need to keep a closer eye on her ? Othrt thasn that all is well, candled the remaining 5 and they are all moving about. . Mind you at this rate there wont be any eggs left to hatch.

[Griffin]

Rats would steal eggs. I really think you ought to look for signs of them because they'll kill the chicks too.

[Electricbarbarella]

OK, what woukld be signs of rats, I have never seen any but that fdoesnt mean anything, they are in the eglu, the hole under the nest is blocked up with newspaper and I am fairley sure it hasnt been disturbed, Is there any other way a rat would get in? What can I do?

[Egluntyne]

Oo er! I never had any egg eating problems with her.

 

Gosh....I hope that isn't the case.

[Electricbarbarella]

hope I havent broken your hen. worried about the possibility of rats now, I am sure *I read somewhere that a broody will eat unviable eggs, but I cant remember wher, or find it now.

[Egluntyne]

I've just read that hens in general may 'egg eat' if they aren't drinking enough.

 

I wonder if the hot weather and the fact that she is broody has triggered it and she is too bone idle to get off her fat derrierre and have a drink?

[atsw]

One of our Orps went broody at the weekend. To give her something to sit on, we tucked an egg under her. It did have a hairline fracture. Next day, when we came to move Di to her broody quarters ready to sit on real eggs, the egg we placed under her the night before had gone - no sign what-so-ever.

 

Our old girl, Fifi, does eat eggs given half a chance, but only ones that are cracked and leaking, or ones of her own that have no shell (she's an old girl, rare that she manages anything close to a real egg, usually just the contents!).

 

We assumed that Di chucked out the egg we put under her because it had a hairline crack and was not 'perfect' and then Fifi had eaten it, but there was absolutly no evidence of the egg at all - very odd.

 

Anyway, six fertile eggs should arrive today, so we'll pop them under Di tonight and see how she gets on with them. Hopefully they won't all disappear like the last one did!

 

Andrew

[Electricbarbarella]

she would have to be very lazy, the water is within reach of the nest. mind you I keep having to turn the food bowl round as she will only eat ythe bit she can reach without moving at all. She does get up to bless us with the lovely broody poos though