All hens eating all eggs

[Lelilamom]

This summer has been horrible. First mites, then flies and now every last hen is eating their eggs. I watch them. They lay the egg turn around and start pecking at it. I had a ceramic darning egg that hurt their beaks in the nesting box and it worked until my dingbat son collected the egg and thought it was a bad egg and threw it away. I filled eggs with mustard and horseradish and they gobbled them up.

I have 45 layers all free ranged. They are on local made 16%. After eating dozens of eggs a week you'd think they had enough calcium.

What else can I try?

 

[The Moonshiner]

my dingbat son collected the egg and thought it was a bad egg and threw it away.

Sorry, not sorry. That there is just too funny

 

[Jener8or]

I know they are not cheap, but could you try some roll-away nest boxes? (You might be able to make some yourself.)

You could also try adding curtains to the nest boxes, so they can't really see the eggs as well after laying.
I might try changing their feed to one with higher protein and calcium for awhile (maybe a few months) just to see if it helps (although it's a hard habit to break for sure!)

 

[FrostRanger]

I would up their protein to 20%. 16% is the bare minimum amount of protein and it's just not quite enough for some hens. If you don't already, also provide free choice oyster shell as well and cut out all treats for the time being (they can still free range as usual). Those steps should take care possible nutrition related causes, as for breaking the habit behaviorlly, you have a few options. You can get a few more fake eggs and make sure you son knows to leave them there else he's buying you new ones or you can get roll away nest boxes which will roll the egg away before they can eat them

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

This is going to sound counterintuitive but it worked for me. whenever my hens would start eating their eggs I would save up some egg shells and dry them and crush them. Given the choice between egg shells and oyster shells they would always go for the egg shells and leave their eggs alone. I have heard that this makes hens into egg-eaters but I found the opposite to be true--that when they needed calcium they would eat their own eggs and giving them the egg shells stopped the problem. I definitely agree with the above that 16% protein is not enough and a huge part of the problem.

 

[nuthatched]

Higher protein will help, also, foll the eggs with orange dish soap. They can't taste mustard or horseradish.

 

[ChicNmom]

Second on the dish soap. I used soapy water using dawn dish soap and that worked for me.

Did not think of using orange or yellow.

 

[Lelilamom]

I upped their feed to the 20%, have an oyster shell dish in a high traffic area so they have ready access to it and I filled a few eggs with orange dish soap. They gobbled up the soap eggs. I'm dumbfounded.

 

[nuthatched]

I upped their feed to the 20%, have an oyster shell dish in a high traffic area so they have ready access to it and I filled a few eggs with orange dish soap. They gobbled up the soap eggs. I'm dumbfounded.

They'll learn. Once they stop competing over broken eggs, they'll realize they're nasty.

 

[CCsRanch]

I get a bucket of eggshells free from a nearby bakery (I give them eggs), and have a bowl of them crushed up available next to the oyster shells. And some I step on and leave on the driveway as theyarefree run. Barn Swallows even eat those!