2 mischiefous buff Orpingtons...HELP!!

[chickorama]

Our two buff orpingtons are completely uncontrolable!!!!!!

The first one, named Sunshine, can fly out of the run. We have a dog who needs to share the yard, so it's important they stay in the run. We finally clipped her wings last night. This afternoon, she was out again. What should we do??? We don't want to give her away!!
The second one, named Apollo, is smashing her eggs. We don't want to give her away either, since we love her, but I fear that if she keeps smashing eggs, the other chickens will catch on and we won't have any fresh eggs, which is the main reason we got chickens.
HELP!! I need a solution!! Any ideas are welcome, even if you aren't sure they will work. Thanks for taking the time to read this, even if you don't have any ideas!

 

[JennsPeeps]

1. Clip just 1 wing, not both. That puts them off balance and making flying very difficult.

2. Cover the run with some sort of netting. Even if it's just a $10 cargo net from the harware store, that will deter them.

3. Check for eggs regularly, if possible, and take it away from her asap.

4. Improvise a roll-away nest box. You may be able to modify your current nesting box in a way that allows the egg to roll out of reach after being laid. Get creative with wood and/or cardboard scraps, as well as leftover styrofoam.

5. Put a ceramic or wood egg in the box. That one will be impossible to break.

Good luck!

 

[Michigan Chickman]

JennsPeeps wrote
2. Cover the run with some sort of netting. Even if it's just a $10 cargo net from the harware store, that will deter them.

I second the cover the run idea. I had a girl visiting my neighbor's peacocks everyday until I draped some deer netting over the run. Not expensive or very tough, but enough to anyone from flying out!​

 

[swtangel321]

Try the fake egg or golf ball thing in the nest box where she lays, I had a hen that was pecking a small hole in her egg I used golf balls and it worked like a charm !!!!

Good luck !!!

 

[chickorama]

Thanks for the tips!!!
However, Im sorry to say I made a big deal of nothing!!!! It turns out Sunshine was going through a gap in the fence, which we fixed this afternoon.
I was wondering how the golf ball/fake egg trick worked, and how to do it???Please tell me what to do and how as soon as you can.
Thanks!!

 

[chickorama]

Also, there are 5 places our chickens lay, so should I put a fake egg in all of them???
Please tell me what you know. Thanks!!

 

[bkbuz1987]

Quote:
I have a golf ball in each nesting box. I put one in each box after the chickens tried to eat (I stopped them) the very first egg layed. it has worked, we haven't lost an egg since.

 

[chickorama]

Their problem is not that they eat the eggs, but that they step on them. will it work for that too??

 

[EliteTempleton]

You might add some calcium to their diet so the shells are stronger and therefore stand up better to being stepped on.

Though I do like the idea of a home made roll away system if you could do it.

You can add calcium in many ways, the obvious ones are:
1.) Providing free choice Oyster Shells(You might try a small 1lb bag first and see how slowly they go through it)
2.) Buying feed with a higher calcium content.

Now for the less obvious:
1.) mix a bowl of about half feed and half milk(this time of year you can make this a warm mixture to give them a boost on the cold days)
2.) Give their shells back to them. Once you are done making breakfast, crush up the shells and give it back to them(I'd just add it to the same dish as the oyster shells.), they say you should bake them in the oven at 180F for an hour to kill off any bacteria/be safe, your choice.
3.) Give them treats/other foods that are high in calcium like: Sesame Seeds, Spinach, Collard Greens, Kelp, Broccoli, Kale, Celery, Flax Seeds, Yogurt, Cottage Cheese,