Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[kinsk]

Any ideas? This morning when I went to check for eggs something/someone has stashed some layers pellets in one of the nesting boxes

 

We had 18 hens and 2 cockerels in a paddock with a shepherds hut type hen hut, 5 nesting boxes. For the last couple of months we've had problems with egg eating. A couple of weeks ago we seperated the two cockerels and gave him a couple of the girls to keep him company, although this didn't stop the egg eating in the big pen.

 

The last two days we've only been having one egg destroyed, as opposed to 7+ but then this morning I saw the stashed pellets and can't imagine one of the hens would have brought them in. Could something else be around and could it be that that's more linked to the egg eating and I've been blaming the girls unfairly?

 

Would hens do something like this?

[Olly]

I've never known a hen do this. I'm afraid mice would be my likely guess.

[kinsk]

Thanks for your reply, I couldn't see how the hens would do it, or be bothered to do it!

 

I'm wondering more whether the 'big' mice might be doing this rats, and could they be to blame for the egg eating?