1 egg eaten

[tav1]

all 3 hens are going thru molt and getting about 1 per day but this morning and this egg was opened and contents where gone. anything to worry about since 1 egg was eaten?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Egg eating is a bad habit that can be hard to break.
Collect eggs often and use fake eggs to deter them.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Egg eating is a sign of protein deficiency, since some are molting they are probably craving protein, so up the content in your ration by getting a higher protein like starter grower, or some other type for molting birds, or add extra protein through feeding other things like eggs, or some use cat food, though mine would never eat it.

 

[fishwithaface]

I monitor how much i give them of extra protein, but my ladies love tuna from a can. I stock up extra when stores have case lots. If you get tuna in oil, its soybean oil so just adds to the protein. I know soy is also not recommend as its a cheap source of protein but it doesnt hurt.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

While they are a nutritious food and contain good quality animal protein, eggs are not high in protein. They are about 12% which is much lower than any chicken feed.

If adding cat food, check the protein content on the guaranteed analysis. Some cheap canned cat food is lower in protein than chicken feed.

Soybeans are high in protein but soybean oil contains zero protein. The protein is in the meal from whence the oil is extracted. Hence the word oil, which means it is a fat, not a protein. There is little nutritional value other than as a fat.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/507/2

If one is going to increase protein, one needs to know the actual crude protein percentage of what they're supplementing, otherwise it is a guess.
Amino acid profile of the supplement is just as important. It doesn't help to add something that may be high in crude protein but missing several of the essential amino acids. A high crude protein food that is deficient in one or more amino acids can still cause protein malnutrition. The high crude protein may be in the form of non-essential amino acids or essential ones already in good supply and the result is excretion of those excesses as nitrogenous waste when the amino acid profile of the food isn't matched to nutritional needs of the animal. Poultry feeds made from vegetative sources need to supplement synthetic lysine, methionine and sometimes tryptophan to meet the nutritional requirements.
Check the 'limiting amino acid concept' discussion in the next link.
http://feed-additives.evonik.com/pr...nutrition/animal-nutrition/Pages/default.aspx


For egg layers, it's best to avoid giving too much fish as that will flavor the eggs. It is an excellent source of animal protein though. I use canned mackerel since it is about 1/4 the price of tuna.

Egg eating isn't necessarily a protein craving. It usually starts with a broken egg, then one or more hens taste the contents, discover how good they taste and may then continue to break them for the treat inside.

 

[rubbleanddebris]

I have egg eaters. I highly doubt that they are lacking anything in their diet. They have access to layer feed 24/7 in multiple spots in the coop. They have oyster shell, and they get a reasonable amount of treats. But they just started laying and they just started egg eating all in the same week. Not sure what to do, but I know I have 2 egg eaters for sure. I guess we could cull them before they teach the others.... but they may have already and Im not fond of that idea if I can avoid it. I raised them from chicks and it seems very defeating to just cull them and go get egg laying hens.... I tried the mustard filled egg. They loved it. They shared it and pecked the mustard off each others beaks.

This is my first time having an egg eater, out of several flocks. I'm going to work out a good roll away nest box plan today and get some wooden eggs. They also do not like to lay in the boxes.... but I'll try it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I found the wooden or ceramic eggs very helpful. Also filling plastic easter eggs with sand is another technique I tried. In the end, I didn't have to cull but sometimes that is the last resort.
A rollaway nest is a good idea.
First time laying pullets can have thin shells even with layer feed until the shell gland gets its routine together. That's usually the start of it all. Floor layers can also become eaters since that can cause broken eggs as well.

Making the nest more attractive by darkening it and more comfortable. A dark nest limits egg eating as well.

 

[rubbleanddebris]

A pleasant update on my egg eating:
Nest boxes are being re-constructed today (roll-away)... But I have managed to get them laying in the current boxes by adding a curtain and a couple golf balls! I saved 2 eggs today by stubbornly checking them all morning. I am also 90% certain of whom exactly my egg eater is... and I'm pretty sure it is just the one hen. I've thought about separating her from the others so she doesn't show them...but I'm not sure how I would really do that without building something else on to the coop.... but its an idea.

I also performed the tedious task of emptying and refilling one of their eggs with dish soap. I'm not really sure that helped. But she did try it and leave it.