The chickens and my no-good chicken-eating hound appear to have worked out an accord. They've taken to flying the coop and strutting around the yard making a racket, which normally would quickly end in a chicken dinner but he just watches them. Every so often one will sneak under the steps to the backdoor, and then when it's gone he'll duck under there to investigate. Starting to suspect they're cutting me out of the loop on this whole animal husbandry racket.

Have confirmed that the chickens are laying bribes under the stairs, and this egg-sucking dog is on the take

update: dog is not eating the eggs. He brings them out from under the step and very carefully carries them about in his mouth without breaking them, waiting for me to notice and try to take them away. the chickens meanwhile are now eating any of their own eggs they can get their beaks on, and he immediately devours any bits of broken egg in range, so the only eggs in the house are the ones I've successfully fought a dog for without cracking them in the process. what the fuck.