Hens pecking at eggs but not eating Help

[texasmomma]

I was given several 3+ year old hens. One lays a green egg and the other two lay brown eggs. I get two or three quail sized green eggs a week and two to three small green eggs. Another hen lays two eggs a week and the third hen lays anywhere from three to five eggs a week.

I am feeding organic layer feed with extra oyster shell. They all lay in the same nest. I try to keep nesting material in there but they kick it out. Most of the eggs are pecked enough to crack but not enough to break. I hate to keep buying feed for them when they are just going to crack the eggs.

They also get to free range at least an hour a day. I have some pullets to put in with them so I can put my babies in the Pullet coop. I am afraid if we have a pecking problem it will be taught to the pullets. We did have an egg eater but she is no longer with us.

TIA

 

[Happy Chooks]

Are you sure it's being pecked? Or are they scratching all the bedding out and it's cracking when it drops as they lay the egg?

Golf balls in the nest will help deter pecking. They will try to peck it and I would imagine hitting a golf ball with your beak doesn't feel very good.

 

[texasmomma]

We do have golfballs in the nests but they just kick them out. When we first had them, the egg shells were weaker and they would crack when they laid them. Now, I usually see a small indentation at the end of the egg.