Cannibalism

[Gary palmer]

So I asked some questions the other night about eggs destroyed and we came up with rats. Today I came home to all eggs broken and eaten. Also caught chickens walking around with shells in their beaks and fighting over the pieces of shell. Where do I go from here? This is my first flock. Free range. I turned off the light timer in case getting up to early is messing with them.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

they need calcium supplements. also for a while take their eggs out and replace them with ceramic eggs, that way they will learn not to eat them

 

[Gary palmer]

They have a feeder with oyster shell but haven't been eating much of it.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

ok, then i would just try ceramic eggs for a while, they will learn

 

[Gary palmer]

Thanks. Also, they've been laying for a few months and never did this

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

just a bad habit they have developed.

 

[aart]

So I asked some questions the other night about eggs destroyed and we came up with rats. Today I came home to all eggs broken and eaten. Also caught chickens walking around with shells in their beaks and fighting over the pieces of shell. Where do I go from here? This is my first flock. Free range. I turned off the light timer in case getting up to early is messing with them.

Birds eating eggs is not cannibalism per se, that would be eating flesh, which they also can do. But I digress.

It's hard to say if it's the birds breaking the eggs or the possible rats.

Thanks. Also, they've been laying for a few months and never did this

This would lead me to believe that you have a predator eating/breaking the eggs, and the birds are just taking advantage of the situation.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Birds eating eggs is not cannibalism per se, that would be eating flesh, which they also can do. But I digress.

It's hard to say if it's the birds breaking the eggs or the possible rats.

This would lead me to believe that you have a predator eating/breaking the eggs, and the birds are just taking advantage of the situation.

This is True!