Bottom of pecking order hen hangs out in nesting boxes, destroys the eggs

[doughouse]

We have a one-year old polish hen who is at the very bottom of the pecking order--I sometimes joke that in our flock of eight she's ranked tenth--who often separates herself from the flock. Lately she's taken to hanging out in the henhouse and nesting boxes. She scratches out the nesting material and often pecks at the eggs. I have a suspicion she's been eating eggs, too. We've been ending up with a ton of cracked eggs from her scratching and some with obvious peck holes. I've been trying to go collect eggs multiple times a day, but just now when I checked the nesting boxes one of my hens was in there laying and our troublemaking polish was half in the nesting box as well, watching and waiting. I'd like to find a way to keep her our of the henhouse entirely during the day while allowing the others to come and go, but not sure how to do that, and not sure where she'd lay her eggs. Does anyone have any insights or advice?

 

[sourland]

It is possible that the flock is not allowing her to eat/drink and as a result she is resorting to egg eating. Multiple feed and water stations may help or it may be necessary to remove her from the flock to assure her survival.

 

[doughouse]

It is possible that the flock is not allowing her to eat/drink and as a result she is resorting to egg eating. Multiple feed and water stations may help or it may be necessary to remove her from the flock to assure her survival.

No, I see her eating and drinking all the time. I think the biggest problem is that she scratches all the nesting material out whenever she goes into the nesting boxes and breaks eggs that way, which led to her developing a taste for them.

 

[sourland]

Try putting a higher/larger lip on the nest boxes so that she can not kick the bedding out. What are you using for bedding?

 

[aart]

I had a bird that did this, I called her NestMesser.
She was delicious.

 

[doughouse]

Try putting a higher/larger lip on the nest boxes so that she can not kick the bedding out. What are you using for bedding?

I have pine shavings in the coop and chopped hay in the nesting boxes, but now the coop is a mix of pine shavings and chopped hay thanks to this hen.

 

[sourland]

I'd use grass hay - not chopped. It will be far more difficult for her to kick out of the nest boxes.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Is she roosting with the others on roost bars at night or sleeping in nest box(s) ? Asking because I've had this happen twice with "low woman on the totem pole," both times I re-arranged or added more roost space so that she'd get out of the nest box instead of taking shelter from the others in there and it fixed the whole problem. Also lot's of free ranging where the great solo journey's that one of them would take were much preferred to hanging out in the coop area.

 

[McChooky]

Good luck beating her to the eggs if she's waiting for them.A rolling egg tray will stop her from eating them.

 

[Coops Dad]

Cull and eat. There's no room in the flock for an egg eater.