EMERGENCY!! Chicken's eggs ALL broken by skunk or what predator??!!

[EasterChickens]

Hello everyone, I have been seeing some broken chicken eggs outside & inside the nest boxes for the past 2 weeks or so. I didn't think it was serious until I had enough of all the broken chicken eggs I saw. I usually collect my chicken eggs daily, but sometimes if I do forget, 1 skunk (I think) comes and starts breaking the eggs at 2-3am. I woke up today at around 7:50am, and checked the nest boxes and saw 3 broken eggs (including another one at the end of the nest box which you can't see in this photo) I uploaded some photos for you guys to see close-up on the broken eggs and also uploaded a photo of the 3 broken eggs I saw when I first woke up.

IMPORTANT CONCERN: I'm going on a trip for 1 week in 2 days and I'm so worried if maybe that skunk or some other predator can kill my 4 chickens. *I do have someone coming to fill in the food/water once every 3 days and collect the eggs daily BUT not closing the chicken's coop door.*

HERE IS A VIDEO CAPTURED BY RING OF THE PREDATOR I THINK ATE MY CHICKEN'S EGGS (this video is from my front yard NOT my backyard, though i still think this is the predator that ate the eggs.) : https://scontent-sjc3-1.cdninstagra...bc6083e22e120c79d28faadb546b4c&_nc_sid=195af5

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The skunk, opossum, raccoon or whatever can't get the eggs if you lock the coop at night.
If you don't lock the chickens in at night, you'll eventually lose one or all of them.

 

[EasterChickens]

The skunk, opossum, raccoon or whatever can't get the eggs if you lock the coop at night.
If you don't lock the chickens in at night, you'll eventually lose one or all of them.

Hello ChickenCanoe, my nest box is located outside of the coop that I made for them out of a cardboard box. I'll really try to do anything as possible.


Thanks for your help,
Valerie

 

[Show Sebright]

I would move the hen box it the coop while your gone. The skunk won’t be getting in while you gone if they are locked up securely.

 

[EasterChickens]

I would move the hen box it the coop while your gone. The skunk won’t be getting in while you gone if they are locked up securely.

Hello Show Sebright, my coop is 3 x 4 since I have only 4 chickens, and my whole big cardboard nest box can't fit into a 3 x 4 coop. i'll try to tell the person that will watch my chickens while i'm gone to close the coop, but the problem is if my chicken watcher closes the coop door at night, she can't come the next morning to my house early at 8am to unlock it for my chickens. It's a very tight situation but I will do as much as possible.


Thanks for your help,
Valerie

 

[Show Sebright]

Do you she a picture of you coop set up. When you say coop do you mean a run too?

 

[EasterChickens]

Do you she a picture of you coop set up. When you say coop do you mean a run too?

I'm not sure what you mean by "Do you she a picture of you coop set up."? Yes when I say coop I mean coop with a run but a small one I always fence them in my plant yard (with like lemon trees and apple trees.) I don't let them play in their run since it's too tight, instead I let them out (kind of like free ranging them, but in a apple & lemon tree plant area.)

MY COOP LOOKS LIKE THE ONE BELOW:

 

[PDXJULES]

Hello Show Sebright, my coop is 3 x 4 since I have only 4 chickens, and my whole big cardboard nest box can't fit into a 3 x 4 coop. i'll try to tell the person that will watch my chickens while i'm gone to close the coop, but the problem is if my chicken watcher closes the coop door at night, she can't come the next morning to my house early at 8am to unlock it for my chickens. It's a very tight situation but I will do as much as possible.


Thanks for your help,
Valerie

Yikes, can u get a house-sitter with chicken experience who can take care of them? That sounds like a TINY space .. And dangerous if it gets too warm.?

 

[MildlyOffensiveChicken]

Depending on you state rules (or how willing you are to violate them), you could live trap the skunk and kill it...or.... use a trap that kills.

I will live trap and then shoot from a distance with a 22.

Skunks got 26 of my chicks this year.

You could also buy a high powered pellet gun, one from a sporting goods store and wait for the skunks and spotlight with a headlamp and shoot it.

 

[EasterChickens]

Yikes, can u get a house-sitter with chicken experience who can take care of them? That sounds like a TINY space .. And dangerous if it gets too warm.?

Hello PDXJULES, as I said in one of my threads that I don't trap them in their small run or anything like that, I fence them around my lemon and apple tree area so that they can at least have some freedom to run around (plus when I'm going on the 1 week trip, I will free range them.) I have went on trips before leaving my chickens in their backyard by them-selves and when I returned home they are all healthy and in good condition. But since then this 1 skunk appeared and that kind of made everything concerning. I'm not quite sure if I can get a house-sitter right now.