Caught my chicken eating her egg

[4blackhens]

My birds are young and just started laying. Yesterday my kids found an egg laid under a tree in the backyard. The egg was broken and all the chickens were eating it. This morning in the egg box, I clearly caught a chicken red handed breaking her own egg and eating it.

ACK!

What do I do?

 

[Rogue_Woman]

cull that chicken! Hopefully, she hasn't taught the others how to do it yet.

 

[4blackhens]

Kill her? It's all over for her?

Awww. This sucks.

 

[goldensunriseranch]

I had the same thing happen today. And I hope it doesn't become a habit. I will be interested to see if anyone has some methods to deter it. All I do is try to collect every hour, which I am doing anyway since it is hot. But this one was still warm from being freshly laid and I apparently just missed it. I quick took it away and all traces of it. Once they get a taste for it and learn it's a food source it's a hard habit to break.

 

[keljonma]

Well you could try roll away nest boxes, gathering more frequently, or more protein in the birds' diet. I think the roll away nest boxes are most successful.

We don't cull our birds - they are pets. You have to decide for yourself whether you are willing to lose a few eggs or a few hens.

 

[swtangel321]

try putting golf balls in the nesting boxs !!!! That way they will try to peck the golf balls and get no where and stop doing it, I have a hen that would peck a hole in her egg and I did the golf ball thing, no hole anymore !!! It's worth a try !!!!

 

[4blackhens]

Thanks everyone. My husband is on the roll away nest box design and I am off to get some golf balls and in the meantime we are obsessively checking for eggs.

My friend was visiting and I don't think she quite understood my egg obsession this morning. I want my eggs, darn it!