Asetting hen eats her own egg! Help please your insight isneeded.

[Mobleymoon]

Hello my chicken friends, I have a setting hen on 8 eggs, 1 wk today. She is 10 months so it her first ride. I have been offering her crumble and a little scratch and fresh h2o every am and early pm and randon times durning the day. She'll drink each time i offer. She doesn't eat a lot, but shes not moving about eather. I just came back in from the coop. She had a pice of crunched up egg shell no mre then 4" from her head. I lifted her front to see what i could see. 4 of the 7 where sticky and still wet. Where is the 8th Egg? My questions: [A] Did she do it? Like a "six-sence" (spoiled egg?) OR was she herassed of by one of the other chickens? I have not experienced egg eating chickens yet but i know it happens. This little flock (5 hens) seems sweetly calm and attentive to each other. I also have 2 Roos. One Top Roo and one 2nd. In command. Each playing their roles well. Could it be a chicken on chicken attack? I am retired and when i am not cleaning I am out there. I lifted her, she pecking my hand all the way, and the 7 eggs left are sticky wet and her (belly) crop area is gucky wet! What do I do? Should i tale out some warm water and wash the eggs, change her straw, hold her and try and clean her up??? WHAT SHOULD I DO?

 

[Equi_Liz]

I would take her and the eggs out and clean everything up personally. Does she have enough calcium in her diet? I’ve seen birds eat their own eggs in search for more vitamins before. Ive never seen them eat one if they thought it was bad though. She also may have accidentally squished the egg, that has also happened a time or two around here as well.

 

[Equi_Liz]

I would take her and the eggs out and clean everything up personally. Does she have enough calcium in her diet? I’ve seen birds eat their own eggs in search for more vitamins before. Ive never seen them eat one if they thought it was bad though. She also may have accidentally squished the egg, that has also happened a time or two around here as well.

Our chickens at my neighbors love eggs and they actually do eat them if they see a crack on the shell, they will peck it the rest of the way open.

 

[Mobleymoon]

Our chickens at my neighbors love eggs and they actually do eat them if they see a crack on the shell, they will peck it the rest of the way open.

Oh, Liz thanks for your reply. Can I /should I wash the eggs off? Will she go back on these eggs if I do? With a clean nest? I don't know. what about the mom, her undercarriage is a mat, will she clean herself? if not should I give her a bath? I have seen pictures of people giving chickens baths but they look like bantams. These girls are reg. chickens. Will she "set" with a wet chest? apparently wet with egg white doesn't bother her

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Oh, Liz thanks for your reply. Can I /should I wash the eggs off? Will she go back on these eggs if I do? With a clean nest? I don't know. what about the mom, her undercarriage is a mat, will she clean herself? if not should I give her a bath? I have seen pictures of people giving chickens baths but they look like bantams. These girls are reg. chickens. Will she "set" with a wet chest? apparently wet with egg white doesn't bother her

I had this happen three days into a hen sitting eggs. Actually one egg broke once a day for three days in a row leaving me with only 4 eggs, two of which hatched. Anyways, she ate them and I did NOT clean up the other eggs. The two that didn't hatch showed no signs of development whatsoever so it's doubtful they were even fertile and therefore not affected by me not cleaning them.

 

[Mobleymoon]

You too Humblehillsfarm, thanks. Where she decided to have these eggs in on a shelf in the coop with very little straw for any kind of nest, bare wood bottom. Not even in a nesting box. But she is behind a tote, so she is "covered" on almost 3 sides. I don't know how she will react to gutting what she calls a nest and replacing the straw. You know when you don't know what to do, you end up doing nothing at all? That's where I am. Thanks for your input.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

You too Humblehillsfarm, thanks. Where she decided to have these eggs in on a shelf in the coop with very little straw for any kind of nest, bare wood bottom. Not even in a nesting box. But she is behind a tote, so she is "covered" on almost 3 sides. I don't know how she will react to gutting what she calls a nest and replacing the straw. You know when you don't know what to do, you end up doing nothing at all? That's where I am. Thanks for your input.

I'd add more material! Preferably pine shavings or at least chopping the straw if you don't have pine shavings. She will go back to her nest

 

[Equi_Liz]

Oh, Liz thanks for your reply. Can I /should I wash the eggs off? Will she go back on these eggs if I do? With a clean nest? I don't know. what about the mom, her undercarriage is a mat, will she clean herself? if not should I give her a bath? I have seen pictures of people giving chickens baths but they look like bantams. These girls are reg. chickens. Will she "set" with a wet chest? apparently wet with egg white doesn't bother her

Personally I wouldn’t like scrub the eggs, I would wipe them with a dry paper towel. Or just set them out to air dry, I would only replace the yucky straw and mix new straw with the dry old straw. As for her, if the mess is wet I would wipe it off with a damp clothes or a dry paper towel, I’m sure she will clean herself eventually. Our hens never ditch their nests and we clean pick them up and move them, change bedding etc all of the time, they always go back but they are used to it. Birds themselves don’t have a great sense of smell, that’s why you can move wild bird nest and babies without issue as well but I still wouldn’t do an extreme amount of change at once. As long as she is dry and there won’t be rotten egg matter just sitting there is all I would be concerned about. I would try to light the eggs up to see if they are viable or not. I completely understand the big chicken thing I have 2 Cornish cross hens that are heck to try and pick up, they are sooo heavy after this though it may be an idea to get your hens into a cleaning habit so they will be more willing to let you clean up their nests and surroundings without worrying.

 

[Mobleymoon]

OH who-ray! Now at least I don't feel so helpless. Thank you, really thanks.

 

[Mobleymoon]

Personally I wouldn’t like to scrub the eggs, I would wipe them with a dry paper towel. Or just set them out to air dry, I would only replace the yucky straw and mix new straw with the dry old straw. As for her, if the mess is wet I would wipe it off with damp clothes or a dry paper towel, I’m sure she will clean herself eventually. Our hens never ditch their nests and we clean pick them up and move them, change bedding, etc all of the time, they always go back but they are used to it. Birds themselves don’t have a great sense of smell, that’s why you can move wild birds nest and babies without issue as well but I still wouldn’t do an extreme amount of change at once. As long as she is dry and there won’t be rotten egg matter just sitting there is all I would be concerned about. I would try to light the eggs up to see if they are viable or not. I completely understand the big chicken thing I have 2 Cornish cross hens that are heck to try and pick up, they are sooo heavy after this though it may be an idea to get your hens into a cleaning habit so they will be more willing to let you clean up their nests and surroundings without worrying.

Excellent, EXCELLENT!! Okay, the laundry can wait. I'm off to the coop again!