Broody hen eating her egg

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Joellen71

Joellen71

In the Brooder
Jun 18, 2015
42
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My easter egger has been sitting on eggs for around 2 weeks. Everything was fine, then today I saw her eating out of a broken shell. I couldn't tell if it was a baby chick or just an unfertilized egg. It was dark in the coop and I didn't want to pick her up and disturb her. Is this common? Do broody hens ever eat their babies? This is the first time any of my hens went broody. I don't know what to expect. Should I worry that she'll eat other eggs?
 
Do other hens have access to her nest? Sometimes other hens will try to lay in the nest of a broody hen - scuffles can occur and eggs can get cracked and broken. It is the instinct of the setting hen to 'clean' the nest site.
 
yes, but the other hens have been leaving her alone for the most part..they have been laying elsewhere...
 
I'd suggest removing any remnants of the egg and keeping an eye on her to see if it happens again. I'd go with Sourland's theory that the egg got broken (not necessarily by another hen) and that will be an end to the egg eating.

CT
 

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