could it be a squirel?

[samantha]

i have only managed to have one set of babies this year, cause everytime my birds eggs are about ready to hatch the loft is raided, there is yolk everywhere and shell, and ive even found an egg on the outside of the loft,

 

ive put rat poison on the outside of the loft, under a heavy bucket so my dogs cant get it, but it hasnt been touched

 

could it be a squirel? i have a lot around?

[Tony C]

Dont know about squirels Samantha but could be magpies/crows if they can find a way into your lofts. Funny was only talking about this last night............the culprit was a crow.

[samantha]

maybe a magpie could get in, but it would stuggle to get out!! my trap is only one way

[Guest shadow]

It could be a squirreltry and borrow a cat trap and bait it

[samantha]

good thinking, hmm but what do i do if i catch it ?? take it far far away??

[Guest shadow]

Find somebody to send it on its way as they are classed as vermin, if you let it go it will come back

[samantha]

ah ic  

[pigeonpete]

Hi sam, theres no such thing as a 1 way trap im afraid!!! :-/ i had this earlier in the year, did nt believe it till i saw it myself the crows managed it!! with a 5/6 day old squab aswell!! does your trap close up? hope you sort it out speak soon x

[samantha]

no it doesnt pete im afraid i made it myself so its basic to say the least  :-/

[Guest REDFOXKRAUTHS]

DONT RELEASE IT AS IT IS A VERMIN YOU COULD GET FINED FOR RELEASE IT AS LAST I HEARD IS THAT IT IS ILLIGAL TO LET ONE FREE :'(

[andyb]

i had this problem a few years back and it was squirrels. only one way to cure them i'm afraid.....and they do love peanuts

[Guest Paulo]

Thats why in the northeast a lot of guys don't use traps and the like. I use open door trapping into the loft corridor with bob wires each side then you can close the door and everything is fairly vermine secure also use fine gauge mesh on all windows etc to stop sparrows and wild birds getting in as even if they don't nick the eggs they carry roup and all sorts of diseases.

 

Grey squirrels are vermin and can be legally dealt with so like everybody says get a cat trap to trap it. Or try and make the loft squirrel proof by securing the trap during the breeding season by boarding it up and let the pidges out the door when you are around to watch them pain in the backside I know but by the sounds of it if you don't do something it will be a pain in the butt to breed anything.

 

Sam do you take the corn away from the birds on a night? Just if its rats they might be gourging themselves on corn rather than touching the poison Also look out for cigar shaped black droppings to be honest if it was rats they leave quite a mess such as chewing holes in the cree etc so it prob isn't but just to keep an open mind.

 

Also have you got any aggressive cocks in the loft as they sometimes kick off and smash all the eggs in sight of course as you say one egg was outside the loft so sounds like something carried it out.

 

Do you use nestboxes for your birds?

 

Petes right about crows and magpies they love eggs and squeakers when I bred ducks you had to rear the ducklings in a shed as if they were let out in an open compound the crows would attack

 

 

[stevebelbin]

I would say looking at your loft pics, the mesh needs to be finer, 1cm square would stop squirels etc getting in !!!

[Guest speckled]

wooooooooooo sorry to here this sam, but come i wont beat about the bush but seems to me that ya have a "rat" thats roaming around, well ya say ya put poison under a heavy bucket, :-/ but the rats not intrested in thats cause her needed to be on steriods to lift it.lol. :X all the time theres another way to get food thay will,so he has via the eggs.Not nice to but we  all have this experiance this time of year.But sozz a squirrels dont take eggs.I would agrre with  paulo say some smaller wire but in the mean time place a buisciut in the loft the birds wont touch it, but other vermon will, ok call it a way of distracting the bait from the eggs,Just my opion Speck

[Guest Paulo]

Way we avoid rat problems in our allotments and smallholdings is always take corn off birds on night. Keep corn locked up in sealed bins. No loose corn lying around loft. Rat bait left down. Loft should be raised off the ground on brick piers and we let jack russells run under loft every morning. Live catch trap is set next to corn bins alone with mouse traps in case of mice.

 

Dad also uses fenn spring traps in tunnels in his stables where he has corn, oats horse type rubbish etc.

 

"But sozz a squirrels dont take eggs''

 

I would agree with speck if there is plenty of natural food around the squirrel seems to be going to great lengths to get eggs. My thoughts would be:-

 

Magpie/crow

Rats

Aggressive cock pigeons fighting and opening a can of whooparse on the eggs.

 

If you do find out its an aggressive cock you can maybe shut him in his nestbox with his hen to prevent him breaking the other birds eggs.

 

Good luck I hope you manage to find out what is causing it and solve the problem. Had a look at your loft photos. See your on a bobwire trap so presume if bird or squirrel got in through those wires it would be shut in loft so can probably rule those out, your mesh on windows does need to be finer like steve says as this will prevent little wild birds getting in they all carry diseases so if they drink from your drinker or poo in the corn than your birds are going to get infected.

 

Prob will be rats or the cocks fighting. Just observe the birds and check if you have any aggressive ones as for rats you will spot the signs sooner or later. Cigar like black/brown droppings in and around the corn and floor and sooner or later they will start to gnaw holes in loft.

 

If your still stuck with the problem next time it happens take some photos of the inside of loft and crime scene and maybe we can all have a look and someone on here can identify the problem better.

[samantha]

ok agreed need better wire on the loft (on my to do list)

 

rat poison is under heavy bucket but balanced up by a piece of wood on one side so a rat could get under but my dogs cant get at it. (i know im a bit daft speck but come on !  ;D)

 

all food is removed after they eat, (which has only been implimented for about a week)

 

erm what else...

 

oh yeah, i dont think i have any naughy cocks they all seem well behaved to me, and i did find an egg on the outside of the loft so that blows that theory out of the water

 

anyways seems to be doing ok so far as i have eggs almost ready for hatching so .... fingers crossed should be ok

 

i had a theory that my exhibition hen was squashing them lol, cause everytime the eggs were eaten she was throughly covered in yolk, but her heads that far down her back i think she couldnt see it had been broken and still sat on it, wereas the others leave the nest when it happeneds, but anyway i have switched her egg (she only layed one) for a dummy egg, and put her egg under a west that raises her babies well (but i dont want her having any more cause shes paired up with a fan)

 

its a bit complicated  :-/ but trust me i kknow what im doing  ;D

 

thank you for all your advice everyone xx

 

[jordanp31]

I had the same problem with squirels getting into my loft. I got a havaheart squirel trap and baited it with nuts. The squirels can take the nuts without triggering the trap so tried half a waggonwheel and came back to a bugger in the trap...

I took it about 5 miles down the road and released it in a wood. Must of liked it because it never came back. ;D

[Chatrace]

I had to put 1/2 mesh on my Avirys so the squrials couldn't get in, they will destroy the nests and take the eggs

[THE FIFER]

CARRION CROWS ARE VERY INTELIGENT AND CAN GET IN WHERE U THINK THEY CAN'T.

[samantha]

well the good news is i have a chick, first one since the spring, no sign of anything getting into the loft, and its from my exhibiton fan paired with an indian fan, so im hopfull it will be a pretty one  ;D ;D

[Speedy Ste]

I had something like this egg snatching thing happen to me, a few years back.  The eggs where going missing from the nest, and I would find the shells in little bits outside the loft.  It turned out to be my dog, who was nicking and eating my eggs, as I cought him red handed at it! >  The dog in question, got a good kick up the shitter for it, and for some reason, he never did it again!! ;D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve.

[Roland]

Yes Squerrils... just shood a few away out of my trees. They cause havoc in a loft, no two ways about that. Eggs youn or even on the nests. My mate is a game keeper and his Jack Russel was hurt more fighting cornered sqerrills than anything else.

[Speedy Ste]

I better watch out then! we have got loads of squirels around here.  In fact, I seen one on the back fence, the week before last.  Suppose I will have to give it the same treatment, I give the dog! Thats if he's feeling lucky ;D