Chicken breaking eggs in nest

[Annasg]

I have 5 hens, 4 RIR, 1 Barred Rock. I don't get 5 eggs everyday but they are all good layers. Almost everyday, I have 1 or 2 broken eggs in the nest when I go to collect them. Sometimes, most of the shells are there and sometimes most of the shell is gone but the yolk is all over the other eggs telling me that there was at least one other egg. What would cause a hen to break the eggs and how can I break this habit? Maybe once or twice a week, I get good clean eggs and no broken shells.

 

[TwoCrows]

Sorry you are having trouble with egg eating. Once they get the taste of eggs, its a hard habit to break.

I had a flock of egg eaters. One hen always laid thin shelled eggs or no shelled eggs. The others learned to watch her and check to see afterwards if she left them a snack!

I did 2 things to stop this behavior. First, put up curtains. You can use kitchen curtains or make your own. Hang them so there is a slit in the middle. What this does is make the box dark inside, stops other hens from cruising for laid eggs, hen slips in, lays her egg and leaves. Makes the boxes more inviting to be a chicken, hen feels safe, less inclined to tamper with eggs.

Next, collect your eggs often and use fake eggs in all boxes, leave them in there permanently. After you have collected today's eggs, the hens may go in and play with the fake ones. Once they realize the fakes are impenetrable, they think all eggs are as well.

This may take a few weeks but eventually these methods should stop the egg eating.

Good luck!

 

[Kiki]

What do you feed your chickens?

 

[Annasg]

Thank you so much. I do already have fake eggs in each of the nests. I also have a chicken that lays thin eggs. Unfortunately, even with all my laying nests, they all tend to use the same nest. I feed them Laying Crumbles, Cracked Corn and a few snacks like leftover cornbread and vegetable clippings. They also free range everyday that it is not raining. I give them grit, oyster shells and crushed egg shells. Should I be giving them something else? Maybe something is missing in their diet, but I don't know what it would be.

 

[Folly's place]

Are your birds young? Old? Different ages?
Your feeding program is lower in protein than ideal; the layer feed is meant for production layers who eat nothing else, not with added corn and stuff. Try transitioning to an all-flock feed, with the oyster shells on the side.
Is the feed fed within about six weeks of the mill date? Do you check every bag?
If you have a bird consistently laying very thin shelled eggs, consider culling her. If you have a bird who's breaking and eating eggs, cull her too. It might be necessary to eliminate 'trouble makers' from your flock to fix the problem.
Mary

 

[centrarchid]

No actual evidence given for egg eating, at least as the primary cause of egg failure. Egg shell failing can be nutritional in cause as @KikiGirls appears to be considering. Your hens are heavy so if egg shells are thin then breaking is easy. To distribute hens weight better, I suggest you remodel nest so bowl is flatter making so hens can more effectively distribute their weight so it does not crowd eggs together.

 

[Krazyquilts]

To distribute hens weight better, I suggest you remodel nest so bowl is flatter making so hens can more effectively distribute their weight so it does not crowd eggs together.

That's a really interesting idea that I've never considered. Definitely something for me to keep in mind the next time I'm having my husband build nesting boxes.

 

[Kiki]

I would limit all treats to once a week and not daily. And no more than about one tablespoon of treats per hen.
Treats are anything you offer besides the complete layer feed.

 

[aart]

If diet change doesn't 'fix' the thin shell layer, get rid of her.
I had this problem, diet and supplements didn't work, she had a funky shell gland.
That thin shell breaking got several others constantly mining the nests for eggs to eat despite fakies in all nests....was very disruptive to the other layers, not to mention having to clean a nest every darn day.
I doubt curtains will help, they know where those eggs are.
That girl is now in my freezer, the nests are clean, and calm has been restored.

 

[Folly's place]

Some older birds will have thin shelled eggs, as their 'system' develops issues.
Mary