attacking one chicken and eating eggs?

[higuy1375]

Hi all,

My chickens have been eating nearly all my eggs and today they all gained up on one chicken picking out nearly all of its feathers. I isolated it for a little bit just to keep an eye on it, only for an hour or two. Was thinking about doing the mustard trick on my eggs but im not sure how good of an idea that would be, I dont want it to have any adverse effects on the other chicken thats being gained up on. How should I fix this?

 

[GodLovesU]

What are you feeding your chickens?How much space do you have?How often do you gather eggs?Have you actually seen them eating the eggs?Also you posted this thread twice.Good luck!

 

[Debbie292d]

If one chicken is being picked on like that, I'd put them in their own pen and put another calmer chicken with it. If you can make a larger pen, add another chicken to them every few days until you have about 5 in there that all get along. After about a week of this I'd release them all and the one being picked on has friends now.

Otherwise, the reverse of this is if you can pick out the worst bullies, separate that one or few. After they've been away from the rest for a couple of weeks, then returned, they are at the bottom of the pecking order.

As for eating eggs, there are many things folks try to break them of this. Mustard is one. Curtains over the nest box or golf balls/plastic eggs in the nest are others. I'm sure there are more but that could get you started.

 

[nuthatched]

Mustard eggs don't work. They can't taste them. Yellow or dish soap works.
Let's narrow it down, is this a new bird?
Diet? Coop size? How many birds?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Take everyone's good advice to heart. I may add more later but what worked well for me was frequent collection and placing several fake eggs in each nest. When they try to break them and fail, it breaks the habit. Ceramic or wooden work best but I've even used plastic easter eggs.

 

[LaFleche]

Hi all,

My chickens have been eating nearly all my eggs and today they all gained up on one chicken picking out nearly all of its feathers. I isolated it for a little bit just to keep an eye on it, only for an hour or two. Was thinking about doing the mustard trick on my eggs but im not sure how good of an idea that would be, I dont want it to have any adverse effects on the other chicken thats being gained up on. How should I fix this?

Roll-away nest boxes will keep the eggs out of their reach immediately after being laid.

 

[Yardmom]

I realize this is an older thread, but for future readers the first thing to do when a chicken is eating eggs is to add more nutrients to their food. Feed a higher protein percentage and make sure there is an extra calcium source.
A poor diet may even contribute to hens that pick at each other.

 

[Daisy June]

Hi all,

My chickens have been eating nearly all my eggs and today they all gained up on one chicken picking out nearly all of its feathers. I isolated it for a little bit just to keep an eye on it, only for an hour or two. Was thinking about doing the mustard trick on my eggs but im not sure how good of an idea that would be, I dont want it to have any adverse effects on the other chicken thats being gained up on. How should I fix this?

My coop is situated so that I can see when the girls go up to lay an egg (and my resident nosy rosy sings the egg song to tell me when there is an egg in the box--no matter whose it is). I did three things to cure our egg-eating challenge.
1-Kept a close watch to retrieve eggs as quickly as possible
2-Placed golf balls in each of the three nesting boxes
3-Added protein to their diet
As for the picking and pecking, I watched and verbally scolded and got between the pecker and the peckee each time. That problem also resolved itself quickly. I know it is all hard to watch, but with the many ideas you will come away with from the BYC members, you will be able to fix these things.

 

[Bowling chickens]

I am having the same problem. We have tried mustard, dish soap, golf balls & watching closely. They are all eating the eggs (except one) even the rooster. I was watching today and they were all on top of the hen laying and eating the egg as it came out. I don't know what to do. My husband says cull the flock and start over.

 

[LaFleche]

I am having the same problem. We have tried mustard, dish soap, golf balls & watching closely. They are all eating the eggs (except one) even the rooster. I was watching today and they were all on top of the hen laying and eating the egg as it came out. I don't know what to do. My husband says cull the flock and start over.

You can switch to roll-away nest boxes.