Egg pecker

[Anigozanthos]

We have five hens in a run together. The older two have been laying for a while now with no issues with their eggs. The younger three have all just started laying in the last week, but they have been in the run with the older hens for a couple of months. For the past two days when I've collected the eggs there have been one or two that have been pecked on the shell but the membrane has not broken.

Any suggestions how I stop this behaviour to stop them progressing to egg eating?

 

[Judy]

Sometimes eggs are laid with pinholes in them. Are you sure the chickens are doing this?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/common-egg-quality-problems

 

[Anigozanthos]

I'm pretty sure they are pecked. The shell is cracked inward but not enough to break the membrane. They've also been eggs from three different hens, not just all from one hen.

Thanks for the link though We are still learning a lot and I've book marked it for reference if needed. So far the only odd eggs we've had in the past are two shell-less ones.

 

[Anigozanthos]

They progressed to egg eating I came out this morning and the nesting box is filled with sticky egg white, while four of the five were outside pecking into an egg that was on the floor of the run. Since it's nearly all of them doing it I am trying out mustard filled eggs as a deterrent.