Best way to root out egg eaters

[Oncoming Storm]

Yes, I see your point

Do they have access to a dish of oyster shell, or to crushed eggshells? They might need more cacium. (Just giving them the shells after you eat the eggs can help, but probably won't be enough total calcium for them to produce good hard eggshells.)

No, we’ve never had an issue before. All of our eggs are hard and sturdy. Some even look like they have excess calcium on top (like an egg bunion). I do put eggs in my dogs food because of them can’t keep weight and the eggshells sit in the feed room to get all crusty. When they get crushed through my dogs getting in there and laying waist to everything, my polish hen finds the desintegrated shells quite a treat. But the only soft eggs I’ve got was from my very first batch of chickens and she was a broiler soooo.

 

[NatJ]

I agree, that definitely does not sound like a calcium deficiency.

Can you put a camera to watch the nestbox? Or sit there all day yourself?

Does it work to pen up one or a few chickens at a time in a pen with an egg, and watch to see who tries to eat it?

Or pen up all the chickens for a few days, divided into two or more groups, and see which groups contain egg-eaters? That might let you know some of the ones that don't do it.

Or pen up all the roosters to see if that makes a difference? (In case the egg-eaters are roosters rather than hens.)

I assume you already looked to see if any birds were walking around with egg on their beaks (they can wipe it off pretty quickly.)

At risk of making a bigger mess--maybe empty an eggshell, and refill it with something that stains (like food coloring), then go looking for which birds have colored beaks. (The color will probably stay on the beak for at least a few hours, which will give you time to spot the culprit, but it will also get on the nestbox, the bedding, the feathers of any hen who goes in to lay an egg...)

I'm just listing any idea I can think of, in case one of them helps somehow. I've never personally had to find an egg-eater, so I don't know if they would actually work.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

I agree, that definitely does not sound like a calcium deficiency.

Can you put a camera to watch the nestbox? Or sit there all day yourself?

Does it work to pen up one or a few chickens at a time in a pen with an egg, and watch to see who tries to eat it?

Or pen up all the chickens for a few days, divided into two or more groups, and see which groups contain egg-eaters? That might let you know some of the ones that don't do it.

Or pen up all the roosters to see if that makes a difference? (In case the egg-eaters are roosters rather than hens.)

I assume you already looked to see if any birds were walking around with egg on their beaks (they can wipe it off pretty quickly.)

At risk of making a bigger mess--maybe empty an eggshell, and refill it with something that stains (like food coloring), then go looking for which birds have colored beaks. (The color will probably stay on the beak for at least a few hours, which will give you time to spot the culprit, but it will also get on the nestbox, the bedding, the feathers of any hen who goes in to lay an egg...)

I'm just listing any idea I can think of, in case one of them helps somehow. I've never personally had to find an egg-eater, so I don't know if they would actually work.

I always wondered about supplements but everyone seems so fine and healthy. It’s kind of hard to pin people up because I only have one pen for breeding purposes and a two jail cells for the rowdy roosters looking for new homes and injured birds. We also don’t have actual nesting boxes (I know I know I sound like a terrible person). My flock has an extreme amount of freedom living at the barn and they take to nesting in the feeding trays in the stalls or in the dirt in our large equipment area where there’s lots of things to hide behind and such. And with the trees they have significant cover from hawks and since MOST (there are those rebellious ones) roost in the barn, they’re protected from most predators. At our old house we had all our chickens in a small run with no freedom to roam. Now that we have land we want to give them the space they need to do their thing. Actually we did get nesting boxes recently nesting boxes but they don’t use them yet :/

 

[NatJ]

That does make things harder to figure out.

Your situation sounds nice for the chickens! They've got plenty of ventilation, space, enrichment, varied diet, even fairly safe from bad weather and from predators. Sounds like everything we tell people their chickens need

Any chance the egg-eating is not a chicken at all, but a wild bird or a rodent or a dog or something? Or stepped on by a goat or horse?

Are the broken eggs reliably in the same place, or in all the nest-places?

If they're predictably in the same places, you could still try pointing a camera at the spot and see what happens, but most of my other ideas wouldn't work so well.

I can't think of any other ideas right now.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

That does make things harder to figure out.

Your situation sounds nice for the chickens! They've got plenty of ventilation, space, enrichment, varied diet, even fairly safe from bad weather and from predators. Sounds like everything we tell people their chickens need

Any chance the egg-eating is not a chicken at all, but a wild bird or a rodent or a dog or something? Or stepped on by a goat or horse?

Are the broken eggs reliably in the same place, or in all the nest-places?

If they're predictably in the same places, you could still try pointing a camera at the spot and see what happens, but most of my other ideas wouldn't work so well.

I can't think of any other ideas right now.

Well they were all condensed to one nest but now I’m afraid they’ve found a different one. The origional nest was elevated and securely away from our egg eating dogs. A wild bird is possible but since this nest was in the barn I’m not sure. But I have purchased some crushed oyster shells and am going to mix them in with their dinner.

 

[NatJ]

But I have purchased some crushed oyster shells and am going to mix them in with their dinner.

The usual advice is to just put the oyster shell in a dish, so the hens can get it as they choose. Mixing it into a feeder full of complete chicken food is not good, because excess calcium can be harmful too.

How and what I’m feeding them- a scoop of five way scratch that I spread out on the ground

If that's what you're going to mix the oyster shell into, so they can then pick the pieces they want off the ground, it should be fine. (Might waste a bit of oyster shell, but the stuff isn't too expensive, and it certainly won't rot or spoil if they don't eat it this day.)

 

[Oncoming Storm]

The usual advice is to just put the oyster shell in a dish, so the hens can get it as they choose. Mixing it into a feeder full of complete chicken food is not good, because excess calcium can be harmful too.



If that's what you're going to mix the oyster shell into, so they can then pick the pieces they want off the ground, it should be fine. (Might waste a bit of oyster shell, but the stuff isn't too expensive, and it certainly won't rot or spoil if they don't eat it this day.)

I just threw in a few handfuls with what I’d thrown out for dinner just so they could get a taste. Also when I went egg hunting, I found quite a few busted soft shelled eggs. I’d never noticed them because they’re on top of the trailer divider that’s leaned up against the wall in the equipment area. This is also below where they roost so I guess they just popped out some soft shells while on the roost and they busted on the wall and divider. I’ve never seen them do this before.

 

[NatJ]

when I went egg hunting, I found quite a few busted soft shelled eggs.

Sounds like they do need oyster shell then. Hopefully the matter will resolve over the next few days or so, as the hens start laying eggs with sturdier shells.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

Sounds like they do need oyster shell then. Hopefully the matter will resolve over the next few days or so, as the hens start laying eggs with sturdier shells.

Hopefully...