Raccoon broke in but left the chickens? Or did it steal from another animal???

[ShrekDawg]

Soooo I went out to check the chickens today and let them out and I discovered a bunch of empty egg shells on the ground outside the coop, appears to be about 6 eggs with yolk still pretty fresh in some, and what appears to be raccoon prints on top of the nest box??? But I cannot for the life of me figure out how a raccoon would have gotten in!!! Or why they would have left the chickens alone???

Our coop and run is pretty secure and the nest box lid is very very heavy and large and fits pretty snug so I don’t think a raccoon would be able to lift it???

We do leave the pop door open usually but it’s in a chain link run with a 2x4 wire top and a hardware cloth cage around the ramp... no gap big enough for a raccoon to fit through, something smaller maybe but definitely not a raccoon, and there’s no ripped wire or gaps on the top. I checked. Plus there’s plywood over part of the roof.

We have hardware cloth under all the eaves and over the window screens (two small windows). All of that is still intact.

There’s a very small gap under the back door when it closes I guess but again, not big enough for a raccoon, and there’s top and bottom latches so it can’t be pried open either. I suppose it’s possible a raccoon somehow managed to open the latches and get in but both latches???? And also the door was not open which I would have thought it would be if they got in, right? Cause surely they’re not courteous enough to shut the door behind them and relatch it.

I checked them last night and everything was fine and the yolk seemed pretty fresh but not super fresh so it’s possible it happened this morning???

But the chickens also do not seem at all spooked or scared which I would have thought they would be if something was in the coop. Plus a raccoon would have killed them all, right???

Is it possible a raccoon was just watching or happened to be passing by or something and stole the eggs from something else???

Like is it possible that a rat or weasel or even snake stole the eggs and then the raccoon stole the eggs from them????

Or do you think the raccoon did somehow manage to get in??? Wouldn’t it have gotten trapped inside??? This is all such a huge mystery and it’s driving me crazy!!!

For now though I will be closing the pop door at night and maybe putting a lock or something heavy on the nest box lid.

I think I will also set up a game camera. I got a couple for my birthday about a month ago but haven’t used them yet. I’m thinking this is the perfect opportunity.

This mystery is going to drive me bananas though!!

The chickens are all perfectly fine. Just the eggs that were stolen.

Also there were about 4 still in the nest boxes so they must have been laid after I guess.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Here are pictures of the scene of the crime and the coop if it helps.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm nor a tracker, but an opossum would be dragging it's tail, so not that.
Your run looks not so secure around the gate, the gaps are too wide.
I'd never think that your nest box cover is too heavy for a raccoon! And the latches? Not perfect.
You do have an invader, so be ready!!!
Mary

 

[ShrekDawg]

I'm nor a tracker, but an opossum would be dragging it's tail, so not that.
Your run looks not so secure around the gate, the gaps are too wide.
I'd never think that your nest box cover is too heavy for a raccoon! And the latches? Not perfect.
You do have an invader, so be ready!!!
Mary

Yeah I definitely need to secure the gate better!!! But I wasn’t really sure how to while still being able to open the gate. Although even so, would that be big enough for a raccoon to fit through??? It looks like a pretty big one by the prints. Plus of course the prints on the box/outside which I don’t think would have happened if it went in from the inside? But definitely do need to secure that more!

I didn’t realize they could lift heavy stuff!! It’s somewhat difficult for even me to open which is why I thought surely there’d be no way but I suppose anything is possible.

And yeah, I really don’t like those latches! My dad’s idea. I’m thinking maybe I need to put a lock on them.

The whole thing is just so weird though because none of the doors are open and the chickens don’t seem bothered

I think I’m going to start shutting the pop door though and better secure the gate. Though of course with the pop door shut that won’t matter as much but still going to work on it.

If they managed to open the lid though, would they have been able to figure out how to get back out?

 

[sealer39]

Do you have Fishers in your area?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Do you have Fishers in your area?

I think so but I’ve never seen one before. Not sure there’s very many. Also would they take just the eggs and leave the chickens??

 

[Folly's place]

I've had critters in the coop when going out to lock it up at night, which is one reason we don't have automatic doors out there. Could someone have been hiding in it?
Mary

 

[ShrekDawg]

I've had critters in the coop when going out to lock it up at night, which is one reason we don't have automatic doors out there. Could someone have been hiding in it?
Mary

I suppose that’s possible but I’m not sure. I thought I got the eggs last night when I locked them up but I might have gotten them earlier in the day or not at all. I don’t remember.

And now that I think about the birds were acting a bit weird yesterday. I let them free range in the afternoon yesterday and I usually open the run door and the back door because some of them are weird and only go in the back door at night

Anyway, some of the chickens seemed to stay out even later than usual yesterday and I had one chicken come up to the house just after dark, she still wasn’t in bed yet and seemed to be trying to get my attention, so I went outside and led her back to the coop and it turns out the back door had somehow gotten shut and there were a few other chickens out too. I opened it and they all ran in and ate and went to bed. I also noticed my rooster was on the floor in the back corner instead of on a roost. I thought it was all very odd but didn’t really think much of it. She always refuses to go in any other door. But come to think of it, maybe something broke in and somehow shut the door?

But then why the prints on the outside if it went in the wide open door? And they didn’t seem spooked, just behaving a bit odd.

So

 

[sealer39]

I think so but I’ve never seen one before. Not sure there’s very many. Also would they take just the eggs and leave the chickens??

I don’t know, I would imagine that a Fisher would eat what ever it wants. I don’t have any perspective on the size of the tracks. They look more like Fisher or squirrel tracks depending on size of the track.

 

[Folly's place]

Young raccoon or other varmit? Happy with eggs yesterday, tomorrow, maybe chicken?
Mary