When pullets eat eggs…

[Devorah]

Hi! My pullets started laying a couple of weeks ago. Everything is going very well but this morning I noticed shells from 2 eggs on the poop boards! Yikes! How do I treat this behavior?! Thanks for your responses!

 

[DobieLover]

If they dropped their eggs on the poop boards overnight (it happens in new layers) they likely cracked on impact and started leaking their contents. They are free game at that point.
You only need be concerned if hard shelled eggs are being broken and eaten in the nest boxes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Most chickens will eat an egg that is already opened. I don't consider that an egg eater. As mentioned, the ones to worry about are the ones that purposely open an egg to eat it. Those are fairly rare but are hard to stop if they learn to open an egg.

It's not that uncommon for a pullet to drop an egg from the roosts when they are first starting to lay. Sometimes it takes a bit for a pullet to learn to control when she starts an egg through her internal egg making factory so it is laid during the daytime or learn to hold it for a while instead of just dropping it wherever she is. Hopefully yours will gain that control soon.

 

[Devorah]

If they dropped their eggs on the poop boards overnight (it happens in new layers) they likely cracked on impact and started leaking their contents. They are free game at that point.
You only need be concerned if hard shelled eggs are being broken and eaten in the nest boxes.

Thank you so much!!!