Beak trimming question!!! HElp!!!!

[PaulaJoAnne]

So, we have found the 4 chickens that are eating all our eggs.
Lets just say, they have egg all over their faces.

We are out of options, and are facing having to butcher them, which would be a shame, as they are all younger layers.

Has anyone had experience with trimming the top beak to stop the behavior?
I figure we can try that, and if the egg eating then continues, we can go to the above plan.
If we had a seperate coop to stick them in, we would do it, but as it is, temps are below zero for another 3 months, and no other building is available.

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

Beak trimming wouldn't really help, at least IMHO. If they want to break something, they will.
(Example: lightbulb in coop; picture me with steam coming out of my ears yelling at a silky to 'COMERE AND FIX IT!!!' I was not happy.)

 

[redhen]

Beak trimming wont help with egg eating..
even if the beak if filed to a nub..they can still crack the egg shell...so it would be pointless to trim their beaks for that reason.
you'll need to try other things. Sorry.

 

[Southernbelle]

From what I've heard about egg eaters the 2 things that might help is loading up the nest box with golf balls or other fake eggs to "hide" the real eggs and checking often for eggs. The other, more sucessful idea is investing (or building) roll-out nest boxes - immediately after laying, the egg rolls down into a collection area that is inaccessible to the hens.

 

[melody123]

Egg eaters usually are suffering from some food or social problems. What are you feeding your chickens? Do they get enough fresh water? Are they too tightly packed into the pen? Are they abused by other chickens?

Try overloading them with treats extra tasty treats, adding extra containers of fresh water several times a day (is the water freezing, they may just be very thirsty.), and give them a vitamin/mineral supplement. Make sure to toss unedible eggs such as golf balls into the next and remove all real eggs as fast as you can.

I've reformed egg eaters with the above ideas, so it does work. You just have to get them doing something else instead of eating eggs.

Please don't trim their beaks. It's dosen't do any good and qualifies as chicken torture. They do it in the large chicken facilities to get them to stop picking on eat other, not the eggs.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Pardon any typos. FIngers are still thawing out

Ok, just to clarify. our birds get a high protein ration, and lots of other stuff. In a few days, they are even going to start getting wheatgrass.
Due to the amount of snow and extreme cold, they have very little to do, so they are bored

Trying to rectify this in a couple of days.

Meanwhile, when DH got home, we slapped together a roll away nest system, to get us through the winter.
We blocked off the other nests, and put the culprits back.
Hopefully this will work.

Thanks for all the advise. We did not want to take them out, as these ones are laying losts of good eggs, and the beak cutting was something I came across as a possible solution.
Good to know that its not likely to work.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:

 

[KattyKillFish]

there is a type of nest box you can buy where the egg rolls out of sight after it is laid. they are quite expensive. but if you love your hens and they are pets, this may be your solution!

http://www.qcsupply.com/qcsupply/br...pla=Poultry+Supplies&cm_ite=Rear+Rollout+Nest

http://dblrsupply.pinnaclecart.com/products/6_Hole_Roll_Out_Nest_Box-1350-267.html


they even have little nest pads to reduce breaking. http://www.qcsupply.com/qcsupply/browse/productDetailWithPicker.jsp?productId=420375&cm_ven=Shopping+Engine&cm_cat=Froogle&cm_pla=Poultry+Supplies&cm_ite=Nest+Pad+(10+Pack)


again, very expensive. but if my hens turned out to be egg eaters it's what i would do.


edit: if it is boredom picking they are doing you can also give them something else to do. give them a bone with some meat on there. whether it's cooked or not is up to you i guess. i have no idea whether or not that works but an old lady once told me that her chickens were picking on each other and hardly had any feathers so she hung a pig's head in there and the problem was solved. honestly i don't think is a likely solution but worth a try?