Black Star eating eggs...stew pot time?

[SLKchickens]

We are small backyard chicken people with only 7 hens, and they just turned one year old. My daughter found, Lola, one of our black stars eating an egg a few weeks ago. She cracked it open in the nesting box and was eating it. We caught her with her beak in it. I put the ceramic eggs back in the nesting boxes to try to deter her from the eggs, but it didn't work because this morning I found her with TWO eggs under the roost (on the far side from the nesting box). She was eating one and had one "saved for later". I'm assuming she's been eating them this week because we went from 5-7 eggs a day (from 7 hens) to 3-4 eggs/day. Naughty chicken! I have no experience butchering chickens. I think my neighbor or father-in-law might help, but we would need to wait 2 more days for the weekend.

Should we try other options or just make her chicken stew?

Thanks!
Katie

 

[caj1985]

Sometimes they will eat eggs if they are low on calcium. Easiest fix is dinner, but if you want to try to save her and have the patience, I would offer oyster shell free of choice and see what happens.