Chickens eating their own eggs! Help!

[samjoh95]

Today when I went to let my girls out of their coop, I looked in and there was an egg. After I cleaned out their waterer, checked their food, ect. When I went in for the egg, it was gone! but one chicken was in the coop acting strange. I looked over and she had moved it and was eating the egg! is there any way to break them of this gross habit??

 

[cmom]

Not really any way I know of to stop it once they start eating eggs. I had one that was eating eggs and I moved her out of the coop and put her in a cage. She did not lay any eggs when she was in the cage. After a few days I let her back in with the rest of the flock and didn't notice anymore egg eating. I also put golf balls in the nest boxes. I may have been just lucky.

 

[countrycluckerskaren]

Try giving them some cooked scrambled eggs to beef up their protein intake. Also gather the eggs quicker and more often. Soon they well learn, or forget, out of sight out of mind.

 

[Judy]

Another approach I've read sometimes works, besides lots of golf balls, is filling an egg with mustard. But I've also read it's nearly impossible to stop them. Rollaway nests are probably the best solution. The old fashioned approach is chicken and dumplings.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=464610