We may have a case of cannibalism going on in the coop.  Either that or an egg-sucker of the four-legged variety.  The ladies aren’t talking and didn’t take kindly to appearing in a lineup.  Short of seeing tell-tale signs of egg yolk on someone’s beak or catching a hen in the act, I am feeling frustrated.

I am reminded of the James Swan story about one of John W. Champ’s first cases as Justice of the Peace in Bruceport.  A man named Joe had been caught in the act of stealing a pair of boots and was also suspected of setting Captain Hillyer’s boat adrift.  Joe admitted to the incident of the boots but maintained that he knew nothing of the boat.  He was locked up in Champ’s hen house until the matter could be straightened out.  When it was found that Old Toke has ‘borrowed’ the boat, Champ went to release Joe from the coop only to find him quietly “engaged in sucking eggs.”

If we find our culprit, I’m calling her Joe – mostly because that’s the only egg-sucker I’ve ever heard about.  Of course, I haven’t a lot of hope of finding out which one she is.  It’s not like there is a breathalyzer test available and I’m not looking forward to putting myself on surveillance duty on the off-chance that I’ll catch the cannibal hen in the act.

Nyel and I discussed the problem over our morning coffee.  I’ve decided to check the coop more frequently during the day and try to remove the eggs as soon as I find them – not wait to gather them all in the evening as is usual.  Last night it was actually dark enough to warrant a flashlight when I checked the nest boxes.  Five beautiful eggs!  I was thrilled.  But as I gathered them, one was suspiciously light weight.  It wasn’t until I got into the house and took a good look that I saw the tell-tale hole at one end.

If the problem happens again, I think I will need to isolate each hen, one at a time, to see if I can find the naughty one.  If I do, she will have to go… The problem with egg-sucking in the henhouse is that it is catching – or so say the experts.  If I can nip this in the bud, perhaps the four others can be saved. If not…

I hate for this to happen on my watch.  Was it something I did?  I am distraught…