Disappearing eggs

We are having a bad spring as far as birds reproducing.  Something is getting into the duck and turkey nests and eating eggs.  It seems odd that the hens eggs and guinea eggs aren’t being eaten, at least as far as I can tell, just duck and turkey eggs and the only  thing I can figure out is that they are white and the others are mostly brown-or blue.

 Last week in the middle of the day I heard a turkey commotion as I was going out the door taking the 2 cockers to the dog groomer.  I thought it was the turkey sitting in my herb bed but a quick check showed she was fine.  Because I had the dogs with me I didn’t go around the back of the barn where the other turkey was sitting. 

 Later that evening I saw the red turkey that had been sitting in back of the barn sitting on a duck nest inside the barn.  I knew something was up and checked her nest.  She had made a nest under an old seat from a van in our junk pile.  It was a pretty secure nest or so I thought.   There were big clumps of feathers pulled out and all the eggs had been cracked and eaten.  The turkey herself had a wound on one foot and on her beak.

 Saturday I found a duck egg with an almost ready to be hatched embryo in the water dish.  This was at morning feeding time so it could have happened overnight and that made me suspicious of it being a coon.  But all my little chicks were ok, and coons typically kill baby chicks when they come around.

 Yesterday I was outside working close to where the other turkey was sitting most of the day.  On one trip by her I noticed an egg cracked open a few and eaten a few feet from her.  The yolk wasn’t dry yet.  The only thing I had seen around was 2 Guineas, and I hadn’t heard any fussing.  The egg just had a section of the top missing.

 There are dozens of brown Guinea eggs everywhere; the ducks are sitting on them in 2 spots plus there are “loose” ones here and there I keep picking up and a pile of brown hen eggs in one corner that a duck is setting.    It makes me think that who ever is targeting eggs wants white ones.  I am getting suspicious of the guineas.  They do bully the turkeys from time to time.    Most other pests come out at night. 

 My husband wants to set a live trap.  I can’t see it catching anything but cats and chickens unless maybe we bait it with a white egg.   He keeps saying it’s the cats, but they are afraid of chickens, much less a big duck or a turkey.   To me it seems the guineas would eat all the eggshell if they did it.  But it might explain why only white eggs are targeted since their eggs are small and brown and they are around in the day time.

 So I am stumped.  And I am mad all the effort the birds are going through is wasted, especially the turkeys.  I think I may get rid of the guineas just in case.  They are odd things to watch and they eat a lot of bugs but they are mean and noisy too.  They wander far and wide but they always come back home.

On another note we have had so much rain we had to mow the back yard because the horses are no longer interested in mowing it.  It makes the weeds grow fast too.  I can hardly keep up with the weeding. 

I sat out there by the pasture the other day and watched little Lucky the colt, come up to his dad as he was eating and bite his neck hard.  Chance ignored him for a few minutes until the little brat started biting the back of his legs.  Then he chased him which was what Lucky wanted I think.    They ran all around the pasture, Lily was still eating, she lifted her head once and watched for a minute or so.  I was a little worried at first but I guess I should have trusted Lily’s instinct.  

 When Chance slowed down and came over to stand by Lily Lucky came up behind him and literally body slammed him.  That started the chase again.  Eventually Lily joined in and the 3 of them ran like demons around and around the run in shed.  Finally they all ran off toward the woods.  Horses at play.

It’s so pretty here at the farm right now and the weather is just right.  I wish it could be like this all year round.