Egg eaters... how bad can it get?

[Yardmom]

If you end up separating her make sure she is getting a higher protein feed and plenty of calcium.

 

[Birdofire1]

Haha of course. They must know you’re frustrated with the egg eating! Hopefully those fake eggs help.

I don’t think sudden small diet changes would cause that. But I will say from experience the minute we start to give too many treats, Ravioli goes back to laying soft eggs and has even been egg bound on occasion.. She just needs the nutrients in layer feed and if the treats make it so she doesn’t eat her layer feed, she doesn’t get the right amount. I really shouldn’t be giving treats at all, honestly. I’m just a sucker for my chickens.

If you think that a crowded coop or run is causing stress leading to egg eating, you could try adding more vertical space for them to spread out. Things like roosts, shelves, ladders all make good use of vertical space.

So several weeks later I'm convinced you are on to something! My Leghorn has all but stopped eating her eggs... about the same time I noticed her shells have gotten thicker and harder. I had separated her due to probable heat stroke and I think she was slightly calcium deficient because even though I keep oyster shell free standing in the main coop I was having a hard time keeping her in it. I wouldn't have said her shells were outright soft but they were definitely thinner than the others. I think she finally got caught up and balanced out and she's fine now although I'm sure she would start up again if it happened again now that she knows she can. At any rate I seem to be getting the number of eggs I would expect so if there is any egg eating going on it's minimal!

Thank you for your information and taking the time to respond!

 

[alinas2010]

So several weeks later I'm convinced you are on to something! My Leghorn has all but stopped eating her eggs... about the same time I noticed her shells have gotten thicker and harder. I had separated her due to probable heat stroke and I think she was slightly calcium deficient because even though I keep oyster shell free standing in the main coop I was having a hard time keeping her in it. I wouldn't have said her shells were outright soft but they were definitely thinner than the others. I think she finally got caught up and balanced out and she's fine now although I'm sure she would start up again if it happened again now that she knows she can. At any rate I seem to be getting the number of eggs I would expect so if there is any egg eating going on it's minimal!

Thank you for your information and taking the time to respond!

Thank you for keeping us updated! That’s wonderful to hear. I do hope she’s past her egg eating ways. A lot of the experts here will tell you so so many chicken ailments stem from a diet which includes treats. I don’t think they’re wrong, realistically it’s just hard for me to not give into mine