Chcikens Eating Eggs. Help! Please!

[countryboy1]

My chickens keep eating my eggs and can't get them to stop what should I do. I don't really want to have to butcher a chicken.

 

[canada-goose]

First step: collect eggs very often.
Step 2: give them wooden eggs.
If all else fails, set up a rollout nest.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

I read recently in the ABA news letter, that if you put bitter apple in an blown egg shell with cayenne pepper it works. I haven't tried it, but it worth a try,

Bitter apple the stuff you use to stop dogs from chewing

 

[chookchick]

You might want to try upping their protein level somehow--with high protein treats such as sunflower seeds, meal worms, low salt fish, small amounts of high quality cat food. And make sure they have access to oyster shell even if they are on layer feed so the shells are good and hard. Make sure the nests have lots of straw so they are protected from breakage. And give them stuff to do, like leaves or weeds, or cabbage heads, along with the other advice....

 

[Nancyjane]

I'm having the same problem!
I have tried HOT cayenne pepper, which they ate right up! Apparently they don't taste HOT.
Golf balls and wooden eggs- nada
Blown out eggs filled with dish soap- slowed them down, then just laid the eggs and ate them!
Cat food- no difference
The latest is (according to the lady at the feed store) vitamin K defficiency, feed them boiled eggs chopped up. We'll see.
They also get ground up egg shells, greens and tomatoes from the garden. Lady at the feed store said they seem well fed. Didn't think I needed the oyster shell.
If the boiled eggs don't work, I'll be giving them away for pets:/
Good luck with yours! Nancy

 

[Whirlwind]

make your nest area as dark as possible. I even saw something once where they put those really cheep car floor mats the really thin ones up on the fronts of the nests.

Maybe cut some slits up so they can get in easier.

It makes it much harder for them to see the eggs. They hopefully wont eat what they cant see.

My nest are pretty dark and I have never had this problem.

Sorry and good luck

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

in the article I read, said they tried just cayenne pepper too. it also didn't work for them, they tried everything else the wood eggs, darker, curtains, it wasn't till they added the bitter apple that something worked.

 

[MonkeyZero]

Wasabi works. Its a weird bitter taste, but spicy too! It works well!

 

[PortageGirl]

Mustard is what I've heard, and no, they don't care about 'hot' at all, they'll chow right down on hot peppers or pepper flakes.