I have some guineas that are laying eggs!! YEA!! I don't seem to be allergic to them, so this is exciting to me. BUT we keep having eggs come up missing. I had heard a rattler and put out 26 ceramic eggs around the pen and yard. They are all gone in just a couple of weeks. I had eggs during this time. I was getting 4 a day, but the ceramic eggs were disappearing like hot cakes. The pen sides are buried in the ground, so we thought snakes. But 26??? I thought the ceramic eggs were supposed to kill snakes. I don't know what else could get the eggs. I had some box turtles too, and they came up missing. We have not had a single bird come up missing, even out of my male roens that are free roaming. What could be causing this? Any ideas?

Cindy in OK

-- Cindy Cluck (cynthiacluck@yahoo.com), September 22, 2000

Answers

I would think the snakes would eventually just regurgitate the ceramic eggs. Maybe not. We used to blow out a few eggs then fill them part way with salt 'till they weighed about right them put them back in the nest. After 2 or 3 vanished we never had a problem again. By the way, aren't those guinnea eggs great? We liked them better than chicken eggs, though the shells are harder to crack open. Good luck.

-- Les (lvaughn@suntransformer.com), September 22, 2000.

I LOVE my guinea eggs!! So do the kids. I will try the salt idea ;-) I love it!! Hee hee , I would love to see the look on what ever is taking my eggs when they bite that!! We have not found any eggs anywhere on our property, of course they may be going elsewhere to spit out the egg, I guess.

Cindy in OK

-- Cindy Cluck (cynthiacluck@yahoo.com), September 22, 2000.

Cindy I had ravens stealing my eggs once. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see them but they would hold them in their beak and fly away with them. Ravens will also pick up young chickens or ducks. I have seen them do this also. Do you have ravens in your area?

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), September 23, 2000.

Ok, at the risk of sounding totally daft...is a raven the same as a huge black crow?? I have seen them catch a smaller bird in mid-air. They have swiped kittens (not mine, someone dropped off a cat with kittens) then here comes a crow! It was not pleasant. I had wondered if it could be them swipping eggs, but thought it was too far fetched.

-- Cindy in OK (cynthiacluck@yahoo.com), September 24, 2000.

There are very few species of snakes adapted to eating chicken size eggs. My guess is it is something else getting the eggs. Perhaps a pet as play things. One way to check is to tap in an eyelet to the eggs tied them to something solid.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 24, 2000.

I know it isn't the pets, the pen fencing is 7 ft tall and my poodle stays inside. I have seen a few stray cats try to climb the fencing, but they have never made it inside, let alone, steal the eggs. I did, however, see a large crow fly off with something in its claw yesterday. I think the raven taking the eggs idea was right on the money!! My guineas love to fly over the top of the fence, but I like the eggs, so I may have to run some protective wire across the top of the pen with bells to keep out the crows. Then just let the guineas out at night. They lay the eggs in the afternoon,in the pen, then roam around out of the pen all night long. Silly birds. I have looked all around the pen to see if they have changed laying schedules, but have found no sign of eggs. I thought I had found a nest this morning judging by how upset my guineas were at this one cat I keep chasing away. But it was not, they were just helping me out with the cat, you should have seen the look of satisfaction when that cat ran away!! Then they paraded around looking so proud. :-) Gotta love em!

-- Cindy in OK (cynthiacluck@yahoo.com), September 25, 2000.

Hi Cindy, Had to chuckle over the missing ceramic eggs! Let alone the real ones. We have Ravens, huge birds that are cousins to crows, here in Alaska and they will eat anything that dosen't move too fast and sill steal baby chickens right from under my feet with me swinging a piece of firewood at him. The other ideas that came to me was rodents of various kinds, skunks, fox and the chickens themselves, the fence cancelled out some of these ideas of course. You can buy neting from Army Surplus in most any size to string over your pens, set a pole in the center of the lot and the netting will give you head room, like a tent. Good luck, we love our guineas too. Ravens Roost Farm in Alaska Maureen

-- Maureen Stevenson (maureen@mtaonline.net), September 29, 2000.

Thanks so much!

-- Cindy in OK (cynthiacluck@yahoo.com), October 01, 2000.