Egg eaters... how bad can it get?

[Birdofire1]

So I'm thinking I have some egg eaters in my coop. So my question is how bad does it usually get and by 'how bad' I mean am I looking at reduced number of eggs or not being able to get eggs at all?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Worst case scenario would be the egg eaters teach the others to eat eggs too, so potentially you're looking at no intact eggs.

 

[Birdofire1]

That's what I was thinking, I just wanted confirmation. Worst part is I like the egg eater...

 

[nuthatched]

Blow out some egg, fill with yellow dishsoap and leave in the nest box.
Egg eating is often a side affect of:
Low protein diet.
Overcrowding
Stress.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

You could try rollout nest boxes, so they can’t get at the eggs? Or put some fake eggs in to try to trick them out of it?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

You can seperate her out and just make sure she has no way to eat the eggs she lays. I had a single hen that never got out of that phase. All my others go in and out for a few weeks at most, and they're constantly getting eggs thrown at the floor to eat by me

 

[StinkyAcres]

You seem not sure if you have egg eaters. Are you seeing remains of eggs or are you not finding any eggs at all? Mine start eating eggs if their eggs break when laid. Any diet problem that is causing weak-shelled eggs should be taken care of and make sure the nest boxes are filled with deep soft material.

 

[alinas2010]

I agree with what others are alluding to about a diet issue causing weak shells and the hen(s) breaking those when they check them after they’re laid. My Ravioli was adopted from a neighbor that wanted to cull her for egg eating. I would see her through the fence, her beak and comb sometimes covered in yolk. A lot of people warned me to not take her because she would teach my hens to eat eggs, too. We adopted her willing to try to deal with it. Once she was in our care I realized she was laying very soft/thin shelled eggs and she would check them after she laid them and they would usually break. She’s been with us about a year now and while she will not pass up a broken egg or a soft one, she does not go after solid eggs. My theory is that she laid soft eggs there and opportunistically ate them. Boredom may also have contributed to her eating eggs there - they were kept in a pretty small run most of the time. It’s also possible the big move to our flock shook her out of the habit if she really was eating hard eggs. Idk but I don’t think I would give up on her if you are really fond of her.

 

[Birdofire1]

You seem not sure if you have egg eaters. Are you seeing remains of eggs or are you not finding any eggs at all? Mine start eating eggs if their eggs break when laid. Any diet problem that is causing weak-shelled eggs should be taken care of and make sure the nest boxes are filled with deep soft material.

No, I'm sure. I caught her at it. *sigh* My biggest question now is how many are doing it and did I catch it too late for the rest of them? They are currently on grower feed because I've got a chick, with oyster shell on the side. I thought the one doing it might have been bored, she was separated for a while due to injury. Buuuutttt... I finally put her in the main coop and two days in a row I've got only two eggs when I was getting between five and six a day. I didn't want to separate her out again but I was thinking it may be too late. Urgh.

 

[Birdofire1]

I agree with what others are alluding to about a diet issue causing weak shells and the hen(s) breaking those when they check them after they’re laid. My Ravioli was adopted from a neighbor that wanted to cull her for egg eating. I would see her through the fence, her beak and comb sometimes covered in yolk. A lot of people warned me to not take her because she would teach my hens to eat eggs, too. We adopted her willing to try to deal with it. Once she was in our care I realized she was laying very soft/thin shelled eggs and she would check them after she laid them and they would usually break. She’s been with us about a year now and while she will not pass up a broken egg or a soft one, she does not go after solid eggs. My theory is that she laid soft eggs there and opportunistically ate them. Boredom may also have contributed to her eating eggs there - they were kept in a pretty small run most of the time. It’s also possible the big move to our flock shook her out of the habit if she really was eating hard eggs. Idk but I don’t think I would give up on her if you are really fond of her.

I'm caught because I don't always have time to deal with issues right away but she really is the friendliest of my hens. So if I've left it too late, I've ruined the entire flock.