# What critter sucks out eggs but leaves shells?



## eam

We have a white holland turkey who has been missing for a few days. It turns out she was sitting on a clutch in depths of the garden. Last night we heard a ruckus. This morning we found the hen, shaky but fine, roaming around. Her nest, though, was mauled with eggs strewn across the yard. The insides of the eggs were all sucked out, leaving just the shell. For the most part, they weren't crushed, just eaten.

What kind of critter does this? Perhaps a weasel? A skunk?

Thanks.
Elizabeth


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## Cyngbaeld

*****, possums, skunks, dogs.


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## o&itw

Mostly, I think it opossums that suck them.


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## Terri

There is a **** in the back yard that will suck eggs if it can: it breaks the shell on the top and drinks the insides.


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## eam

Thanks. I should have been more explicit. Sucks the eggs but didn't kill a sitting hen. Dogs and raccoons I think would both have killed the hen. The eggs were broken on the sides and the insides gone. If you didn't pick up an egg you wouldn't have been able to tell it was sucked clean. The eggs weren't smashed in any way.

I haven't seen 'possums around here, but that doesn't mean they're not out there. We have the usual foxes, coyotes, fishers but they would have killed the hen. Also weasels. Would a 'possum kill the hen?

Of course, we have about 5 acres of pasture/brush surrounded by electronet but she has to build her nest outside that protected area!

Thanks.
Elizabeth


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## o&itw

eam said:


> Would a 'possum kill the hen?
> 
> Elizabeth


In my experience possums usually won't kill if there are free eggs around to eat. I have never rasised turkeys, but I would think that they might put up a pretty good fight. Possums are rather slow, and being omniverous, don't have quite the carnivorous-type teeth that foxes, dogs, ***** and some of the other varmits have. I have lost chickens to 'possums, but only at night when they were on the roost.


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## cowcreekgeeks

Chickens! But in your case sounds like a predator.


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## WstTxLady

Was the shell intact or shattered ?? There are some types of snakes that eat eggs whole, crush them inside their bodies & puke up the egg shell & membrane in a neat little package....hence them no longer staying alive around my area.

If an "animal" per say gets a hold of an egg they will crush it open & a visible hole will be there.


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