Egg-eating

[chicksneedhelp]

I had the same experience this morning - looked like a soft boiled egg in the nest...my RIR lays beautiful eggs but eats the NHR's eggs if I'm not fast enough to beat her to it. I'm about to put her in the pen with Henry Roo, whom she also taught to eat eggs (but not hers - she hides them!) and then move some of the young ones from this year in with the NHR.

I've tried everything suggested to break her egg eating habit. The only result is that she broke the tip of her beak on a stone shaped "egg". Nothing stopped her, and I can't bring myself to eat one of my pets, essentially.

The young ones that were supposed to be female included one male...I don't want them all beat up by his amorous attentions in a month or so, so am trying to figure what to do with him (besides making dinner!). What are the odds that he could live happily with the RIR and Henry Roo? I have three coops and yards...my free ranging chickens have not survived long...

 

[katiehumes]

I think I replied to the wrong thread so at the risk of repeating myself:

I just broke my birds of eating eggs after making the mistake of letting a non-chicken owner watch our flock of 11 when we went on vacation. There’s an article about this in BYC but you fill eggs with dish soap and let your girls have at those. The way I did it was to take a "turkey nail" (it came with a turkey baster but I don't know what it’s for) that was sitting in our utensil l drawer for who knows how long to poke a hole all the way through both sides of the egg (the long way). Swirl the ‘nail’ around inside the eggs to break the yolk. Carefully blow out the egg into a bowl and cook it up (or freeze it for later). Glue a tiny piece of paper towel, (or egg shell) over one of the two holes on the egg and let the glue dry. Saturate the paper towel with glue so its water proof. You could probably even just plug the hole with hot glue.

Prior to all this I went to Walgreens and asked the pharmacist for the biggest oral syringe they had (which they'll give you for free). Fill the syringe with dish soap and inject the soap into your hollow eggs. Plug the other hole once they are filled and you’re ready for battle. Put them in your nesting boxes and check for new eggs as often as possible (I checked 3 times a day). You’ll have to keep replacing the soap eggs for a few days but your birds will figure out that eggs don’t taste so great.

One final note: I gave them a pie pan of oyster shell in their run -- just in case there was a deficiency. Good luck. Above all and contrary to popular belief: DON'T CULL YOUR BIRDS BECAUSE OF THIS. YOU CAN RE-TRAIN THEM. It took about 1-2 weeks but they're staying away from their egss now.

Such a good idea!!!! I only have three hens one rooster I am so doing this. I think they started getting bored or something but mine are eating theirs. I've been collecting for a hatch because I planned to cull so once my week of collecting is over this battle is on! I would prefer not to cull especially since I still can't tell who is doing it

 

[getreal]

After several weeks of sparadic laying, I was advised to worm my flock. For a week I allowed them to drink water with a wormer, and replaced that water with water with 1 pint of mollasas mixed in the water. Since then i have gathered several eggs each day.....not saying your flock needs worming but it is possible.

can you explain what the molasses does?

 

[Elaine Wright]

I went into the coop this am & found a chicken beak deep in an egg. We put golf balls into the nesting boxes. All my hens lay brown eggs. Are chickens color blind?

2 days later, no pecked eggs & I found eggs in nesting boxes that hadn't been used before. They keep gathering the golf balls into the middle.

 

[lisankaty]

This feed has been so helpful!! I have 10 hens and am getting 3 eggs a day. I was almost at my wits end!!!! Thank you!

 

[lisankaty]

So I tried some ideas that were posted here, even bought a rollout nesting box. While waiting for that to come in, I put golf balls in the nesting box to deter peckers. Last night I went to gather eggs and there is a ball missing... I'm sure I've figured out the culprit and when I find the snake, she won't mess with my eggs anymore!!!

 

[Clinton 78]

Someone gave me a good tip yesterday! they told me to try putting hot pepper inside an old egg shell and putting it back out there. This morning i cooked 2 eggs for breakfast and barely opened the shells just enough to get the yoke out. Then after breakfast i took one of my wife's small kitchen funnels and filled the empty shells with Red Pepper flakes, and Cheyenne pepper. Then took them out to the pin and sat them on the ground. as soon as i walked out of the pen and closed the door every chicken in the pen ran over and attacked the egg. After about 4 or 5 seconds of this the stopped and started looking around. then they all ran over to the other egg and attacked it. then after the same results they all walked away. after a few min i went and took the eggs out of the pen. later in the day i put them back out and only 1 of the 5 hens would even look at the eggs. she pecked it a few times the started rubbing her beak in the dirt and never looked at them again. So i put my light of in the pen for them tonight i really hope this broke them or at least really deterred them from eating eggs.

 

[checkersathena]

Ok, I have had this same problem, and I have overcome it. First, if you only have a couple golf balls in the nesting boxes, and more, if they are almost covering the entire bottom of the box, the chickens will get confused and learn that they can't peck the eggs. If this doesn't work, you could consider blowing some eggs and filling them with mustard, or something that the chickens don't like, and put some of those in. You should also collect the eggs as soon after laying as you can. Learn your chicken's schedule, and try to get the eggs as soon after they are laid as possible. DO NOT leave them in the coop for more than a day.

 

[Clinton 78]

Ok, I have had this same problem, and I have overcome it. First, if you only have a couple golf balls in the nesting boxes, and more, if they are almost covering the entire bottom of the box, the chickens will get confused and learn that they can't peck the eggs. If this doesn't work, you could consider blowing some eggs and filling them with mustard, or something that the chickens don't like, and put some of those in. You should also collect the eggs as soon after laying as you can. Learn your chicken's schedule, and try to get the eggs as soon after they are laid as possible. DO NOT leave them in the coop for more than a day.

Thanks. My tricked for about 4 months then it started again. I figured out my rooster was the one eating this time. He would eat thrones that he would eat the ones that he could perk for outside the pen. After a few hot sauce eggs he quit I have some golf balls I there but I need more. Do u know if they make brown golf balls?

 

[checkersathena]

I am sure you could paint a golf ball brown.