At least one of my hens has started eating eggs in the coop.

[John Bryan Reid]

After seeing broken, empty shells in the coop, I decided to research possible solutions. The best one I found was on youtube that uses egg box design rather than darkness, mustard, etc. The egg box is altered by tilting it forward, then a piece of hardware cloth is formed into a horizontal "u" shape, and installed as a catch, with piece of wood on the top forming a shelter to keep the hens from accessing it for food after they've laid it. I'm going to start being proactive, by making certain they're all inside of it at night to condition them to lay in one place. It may take some tweaking, but I'm going to start modifications today in order to address it instead of culling them. I'd rather outsmart them than cull them. I don't want to kill them for merely being opportunistic. We keep chickens because we're opportunistic about a food source from an animal in our care. They deserve our being willing to work to correct the problem instead of ending their lives. At least that's how I feel about it for myself.

 

[sunflour]

Hope this works. I haven't had to deal with egg eaters, but agree with your comments.
My flock are pets

 

[mymilliefleur]

You might also want to try switching them to a higher protein feed. I had some moderate to severe egg eating going on this summer. I switched my birds from 16% feed to 18% starter/grower and the egg eating abruptly stopped.
Also, chickens usually love to eat the shells too. Are you sure you don't have snakes or rats stealing the eggs?

 

[sunflour]

I switched my birds from 16% feed to 18% starter/grower and the egg eating abruptly stopped.

Interesting.

 

[sylviethecochin]

x2 with mymilliefluer.

Chickens love egg shells. I sometimes feed mine duck eggs, and they go wild for the shells. Even the roosters. Rats, though--rats like to leave about half of the shell lying around after crunching themselves a nice, big hole in the front of it.

 

[Folly's place]

I agree with the above posters. Upgrade their diet if that could be a problem; I feed Flock Raiser, 20% protein, with oyster shell on the side.
Do you have some very thin shelled eggs? If they break easily, any bird will eat them.
Any bird with yolk on her face, especially consistently?
Rats will break and eat eggs, and also kill chickens. Make sure you aren't dealing with an outside varmit.
Mary

 

[aart]

The egg box is altered by tilting it forward, then a piece of hardware cloth is formed into a horizontal "u" shape, and installed as a catch, with piece of wood on the top forming a shelter to keep the hens from accessing it for food after they've laid it.

Yep.... 'roll out nest box' is the typical name for this.
Do a search there are several versions here.
Nutrition is the first thing to look at tho.
Welcome to BYC!

 

[JeanR]

It not only can become a bad habit, but can be "catching" to your other hens--eggs are good food for the naughty one, and can be learned to be good food by your others, who find the remnants in the nest. To discourage, collect eggs often AND place a golf ball or wooden egg, or other hard round attractant in the nest. Sometimes this will break the habit. Otherwise--?? I have had very few egg eaters in 30 years, managed to break several, but rehomed (told the new owner the problem!). GOOD LUCK

 

[rebrascora]

The only times I have had a problem with eggs getting eaten is when they were thin shelled and accidentally got broken in the nest box or rats eating them.... I had one girl that always laid a thin shelled egg and if I wasn't there to collect it the moment she laid it, I would have a nest box full of sticky yellow eggs and straw. The girls never broke a good quality egg even though they got covered in the broken one, so I can only assume it was because the thin shelled one got accidentally broken. Even though they cleaned up most of the broken egg, it never led to them eating any other eggs. I would therefore check that you don't have a girl laying eggs with poor quality shells or a rat problem before you commit to a roll away nest box project.

 

[Folly's place]

I have had two determined egg eating hens, different breeds, and rehomed them both with full disclosure. They may have landed in the new owner's crock pot, rather than mine.
Mary