HELP! CHICKENS EATING EGGS

[64Roscoe64]

My chickens are eating their own eggs and it seems to occur right after they lay them. I tried filling eggs with yellow mustard but one of the chickens ended up liking it. Please help! ASAP

 

[seminolewind]

Me too. Seems I got 2 coops with an eggeater. Never had a problem before. But I see them 2 squished in at a time even tho there is lots of nests.
I've gone out several times a day to check for yellow on the beak or the area around the beak. Someone will have to mess up sooner or later, and then they can go live with the spare rooster.

 

[Chris Arthur]

Eating eggs is a sign of an imbalance in diet. usually they are craving the calcium in the shells. Make shure you have a good supply of 16% or better protein layer feed, and provide free access oyster shell. (grit also)


Good advice .. also watch the water they are getting sometimes they egg the egg for the H2O i had this issue this winter when water froze up , not a problem any longer

best of luck
Chris Arthur

 

[LoveHuevos]

I've had this problem for at least 6 months. I used to get 6 eggs a day and now I'm lucky if I get two or three. They always have an endless supply of pellets/crumbles and water. We give them leftovers from the kitchen and garden almost daily. I've been giving them oyster shell for two months and nothing has changed. I'm trying to collect the eggs twice before noon and that seems to help.

We're thinking of building nest boxes where the eggs roll into a separate area so they won't be able to eat them, but some won't even lay in the box, they lay on the floor in a corner.

The thing that I've noticed is that they like the inside of the egg and not the shell so much. I see the egg that's left behind and it has a small hole. I've even seen them eating the inside of the eggs and not really paying attention to the shell.

I put golf balls around where they lay, so we'll see if that helps.

 

[BunnyMomma]

One of the things I've found helpful, is that I put golf balls in the next boxes before the hens start laying. They usually investigate the golf balls and figure out that they can't break them and that they are not food. They will peck at them a few times and then they learn not to eat their eggs. However I did have one hen that broke the rules, and she was eating her eggs as soon as she would lay them. I had my DH to build a small nest box with a roll out box on one side and I put carpet in the bottom of the nest box. Now her eggs roll into safety before she can eat them! She is the only hen I have right now that does this. I try to keep plenty of golf balls in the nests and in other places for them to peck at. It is a problem and it takes a little time and patience to solve these things. I really needed her eggs as they are really nice quality little cochin bantams and I wanted to hatch them.
Problem Solved!

 

[dogsrockx2]

I keep golf balls in there as well but they still eat them. Also, I don't always have the time to collect eggs frequently. I'm trying everything I can!

 

[nitngl]

Our girls are rarely fed table scraps, meat or scrambled eggs. I have no idea what the problem is.......

 

[displalced]

chickens eating their own eggs. I have tried several things. I give a complete feed from my local feed store. But I give them extra calcium and even cat food (I read that you can give them this for extra protein after molting.) I try to pick up often but with doctors appointments, therapy and such sometimes I just can't get to the pen. I give them yogurt and buttermilk at intervals also. Haven't tried any pepper in their eggs or anything like that.

 

[Scherrill]

I thought putting cayenne pepper in an empty egg would work. Are you kidding?!?! They loved that! I watched them closely and figured out who the instigator was and separated him from the rest and then put wooden eggs in the hen house where they laid their eggs. This seems to have worked! I still check the eggs frequently through out the day. The worst culprit was penned separately for about a month then re-homed.

 

[seminolewind]

I wonder if those roll away nests works?