chicken chickens are breaking eggs how to stop?

[newbiechickenowner]

We have 14 new layers....some have started, some are not quite there yet. The other day, we had a broken egg in the nest. One of the barred rocks was eating it when we discovered it. We had not had this happen before. Been getting eggs for several weeks, 4-9 per day. Then, yesterday, 2 out of the 6 were broken....someone is breaking eggs. We check at least twice a day, but how can we deter this? Also, we do have a bowl of oyster shells as well as grit so that is not a problem either. THere are 4 large nesting boxes and then space under each where a few think is their nesting box. There are enough boxes per hen.....plus, only about 9 out of the 14 are laying right now....and that has JUST started...only about 2 or 3 were laying for the previous several weeks. The yare all new.

 

[Summer Rose Farm]

how i got mine to stop was to but card board under the straw or what you use in the nesting box. as when are hen lay's an egg she stand's up and the egg will fall and crack or break on the wooden nesting box and the other hen's will eat it. so we put card board under the straw and collected the egg's as soon as they layed them for a couple day's and this broke the habit now only when the egg brake's is when have this problem. and feed them extra bread and feed to fill them up so they don't want to eat the egg's.
hope it help's go byc!!!!!!

 

[bwebb7]

I put material up around the nest boxes so it is kinda dark when they lay and when they are done they leave. I don't think they see the eggs so well so they leave 'em alone. I hope it helps

 

[PandoraTaylor]

add a couple of golf balls to the nests, when they peck it it doesn't break.

 

[newbiechickenowner]

thank you...I do have golf balls, but it is not "dark". Someone else mentioned that in another post that I read about keeping them a bit dark. Do yours throw all their straw out as soon as you get it in there? I am CONSTANTLY putting the straw back in. They like it so much, they get in there and fling it here and there and get themselves all comfy, but, but the time they are done and start laying, they have thrown half of it out. Normal? how tall are the fronts of your nests? The lip on mine is about 3 inches tall....

 

[gsim]

If all else fails, you could re-do your nests and make them roll-away nests where the eggs roll thru a hole to where the chooks cannot reach them. As long as they have adequate protein they should not purposely eat eggs, but they sure will if they find a broken one. No way to prevent that except lots of deep litter. Still, newbies can drop eggs overnight while roosting and have them break on poop plank.

If you are out early, you will catch this at daylight and clean it up before they can imprint the habit or associate the eggs with a daily food treat.