Robbed Goose Nest. Culprit?

[Wolf-Kim]

Came home, fed the animals and went to check the goose nest for any new eggs. I have given them 15, which they have been setting, so I was taking any newly laid to avoid a scatterhatch.

Shoo the mother goose away, move the fir branches, and move the pineneedles aside only to find.. NOTHING. My heart sank. They were gone all 15 of those HUGE goose eggs. I look around for evidence, just the endcap to a single shell a couple feet away. Nothing else. No goo, no blood, no broken shells scattered across the place.

My mind raced for a culprit. Possums? Coons? Surely a snake other than an anaconda or python couldn't down 15 goose eggs in 24 hours and even then, they'd be more likely to take the goose. Possums? Coons? Fox? Sure, but wouldn't there be 15 eggs shells scattered across the yard!!?!?!


Did the neighbors do it? Am I being paranoid?

 

[Wifezilla]

2 legged predator?

 

[MOE]

im thinking fox tey would have to grab it and run ince a goose is chaseing them

 

[buckeye lady]

Rat? Remember Templeton in Charlottes web!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i was going with raccoon.. one pulled ALL of the eggs out from under one of our turkey hens last summer. we baited a hav-a-hart with another turkey egg and the next morning... that hav-a-hart didnt when we blasted that stupid coon back to Valhalla.

 

[Wifezilla]

Did anyone catch this thread on BYC?

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=314913

 

[gettinaclue]

I don't have chickens yet...but I'm thinking snake. Wouldn't anything else leave an icky eatten egg trail?

ETA - WZ!! That thread is mind blowing! What a jerk!!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

wow WZ!

what a story... just goes to show that everyone needs a gate and a couple of hard workin farm dogs
;-)