Breaking Eggs??

[Dawnclucks22]

Hi BYC Community. Lately I've been noticing eggs broken in my nesting box. It doesn't look like the girls have pecked it or anything. Could it be some sort of predator? The yolk is always gone or soaked into the straw and I want to know what I can do. Thanks in advance!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Sounds like an accidental break that WAS eaten by your girls. I've had it happen before.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

Sounds like an accidental break that WAS eaten by your girls. I've had it happen before.

That's what I originally thought, but it's been happening around once a day. I'll take that into account though.

 

[misskes]

Sounds like an accident. I had one like that recently that I assume had been trampled on.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I have had hen that developed a taste for eggs. Had to remove them. Some rehomed. Keep a close eye during laying hours. Collect the eggs as early as possible.
Common problem but not too common around here thank goodness.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Yes, egg eaters are a big problem. I have had to go on egg eater patrol and even consider culling. Now I leave random fake eggs so they peck something hard if they just decide to check. And I do collect often when I can.

I've also got the occasional brittle shell that a hen sat on and actually got stuck to her chest. Twice, 2 separate hens, not even in the same time frame. But you see lots of things in large flocks, that I would never have imagined.

But I had the same thing you describe... UNTIL I saw a hen run away with my own eyes. She's lucky it was dark and I couldn't tell which hen! On previous occasions though, I now realized THAT's what the nastiness covering some eggs a couple times in the past was. And then one of my broody's discovered it somehow (maybe pushed another hen off the find) and was teaching babies!! Glad that seems to have come to a stop. But I'm always on guard, especially when I have girls coming into lay that might be checking the boxes out frequently.