chickens EATING eggs

[HunterJumpinWyandotte108]

I went out to the coop to feed, and we had two more eggs that had been layd within the past few hours.
Our 'crow' wyandotte and japanese were eating it. What do i do to prevent this from happening again? Anything i need to do ASAP?

 

[CovenantCreek]

Once the habit is started it can be hard to stop. The best way is to get the eggs out of the coop as soon after they're laid as possible. You might consider getting some ceramic or wooden fake eggs to let them peck at -- eventually they might quit when it no longer seems to be providing the reward they're used to. You might also provide additional protein in their diet to make sure they aren't trying to supplement it the only way they can.

 

[Chirpy]

As stated you want to get the eggs picked up as quickly as possible. Sometimes that stops the problem.

I had an egg eater and used the hot tabasco sauce trick. I blew out an egg, filled it with really hot/spicy tabasco sauce and put it back in the nest. She broke into that one and has never touched one since. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't.

If you can't break your hens you need to rehome them, they can teach other chickens and soon you'll have an unstoppable issue and no eggs to eat.

 

[jossanne]

I've read on here that hanging a dark curtain across the front of the nesting boxes helps. If it's dark in the nest box, they won't see the eggs to eat them. Some people have had success with this technique, though I've not had a reason to try it yet. Knocking on wood...

 

[silkiechicken]

One note on rehoming though, try to rehome to a soup pot or your own, since it may not be nice to give or sell your egg eater to someone with laying hens and spread the problem.

 

[willowcol]

Good luck, I have 4 OEGB that eat thier eggs as fast as they lay them. Nothing has worked for me, they just roll whatever I put in there (fake eggs, golf balls) out and eat away. I have started checking thier pen 3 times a day now, I am lucky to get 1 egg a day from them. Today I lucked out and got all 4. Did a victory dance, lol. I would get rid of them but would be mean to pass the problem to someone else (plus they were my first chicks and I love them). They are now in thier own pen away from the other hens and I get eggs from them so we are making it work.

 

[silkiechicken]

Perhaps trying a roll out nest is in store if you really don't want to rid of them. Unless of course, they've already figured out how to get their eggs out of a roll out nest.

 

[HunterJumpinWyandotte108]

I think im going to try that tobasco sause trick

 

[Chirpy]

One note on rehoming though, try to rehome to a soup pot or your own, since it may not be nice to give or sell your egg eater to someone with laying hens and spread the problem.

Thankyou silkiechicken for mentioning that. I would never rehome a chicken with that problem without telling the new person why I was looking for a new home. Most likely, that chicken would be rehomed to a stew pot.​

 

[JennsPeeps]

RE: tabasco in eggs...

chickens don't have the taste receptors to "taste" capcaisin, the chemical in peppers that makes them hot. It's a great idea, and one that would work on dogs who eat eggs, but it won't work on chickens. The person who did use this method to stop her hen probably taught the hen that there's nothing inside an egg, rather than that eating eggs is painfully spicy.