Chickens eating eggs

[Kris5902]

If the eggs are collected promptly and perhaps a couple times a day this will help greatly.
Sounds like boredom is a factor along with the cramped confinement.
I believe you mentioned a second pen? Could you split them up between the two? Allowing for more space?

There are 9 chickens in the 6x8 and 12 in the 8x8. The twelve in the 8x8 never get outside, and the 6x8 is turning into a barren mud pit. Eggs are collected between 7-9am only, it is usually light out by 8 am here. I also advocated for multiple collections, an implemented that during the summer, but I can’t drive the 2 miles multiple times a day to get to their coops, and it “ ‘confuses’ the daily count”.

 

[Kris5902]

Putting them under more stress will not help at all! It will most likely decrease egg production and start fights between the hens. Tell your manager that.

Now, for the egg laying. They may not be getting enough calcium. Put blended egg shells (warning, they stink really bad!) or buy some grinded oyster shells to mix with their food. This will help them get more calcium that they need. This will probably make them stop. If it doesn't, then I don't know what to do.

I hope this helps!

Thanks for your support, they lay well and do have crushed oyster shells in both locations, I added that in corner feeders late this spring when the older birds started having some thinner shells. They are just eating 1/3 of the eggs they lay in the outdoor pen, these are 1 year old chickens, the older ones don’t do this... which is why I’m wondering if it is diet/nutrition related, or maybe due to their beaks being so awfully trimmed back.

 

[WindingRoad]

It never fails , when a chicken gets the taste of raw yolk , it becomes an addiction . they can never be trusted afterwards .

I've had ONE eaten egg in 4 months of having my birds. And I believe it was my fault. I think the egg froze and broke. Even though I do go out there often. Very tempting.

 

[Kris5902]

I've had ONE eaten egg in 4 months of having my birds. And I believe it was my fault. I think the egg froze and broke. Even though I do go out there often. Very tempting.

These ones didn’t start eating the eggs til one went broody, I think she was starving herself, I went in and took her off the eggs 4 times a day and managed to break the broody (red sex links are bred not to be, so imagine my surprise when she started sitting!) but from there on its been a problem, and seems to be catching... which is why I am thinking it’s diet related as well

 

[HennyPenny2019]

Firstly, these are not my chickens, and I don’t agree with their husbandry. I am trying to convince the owner to let me take over their management. There are 8 Red Sex link layers and 1 Columbia rock in a 6x8 foot dog pen with a 2x6 nighttime coop at the top of it. One sex link went broodyish then after about 2 weeks started eating 1 egg a day. Now several are doing it and the owner keeps threatening we put them all in the indoor coop which is 8x8 total confinement and already has 12 hens in there!

I’m thinking that living conditions aside, the egg eating might have something to do with the feeding regimen/diet. All the new chickens have heavily trimmed (or maybe completely debeaked?) beaks, they are missing 2/3 or more of the top beak. She feeds 50% layer pellets and 50% whole wheat. Maybe they are going for the eggs because of texture. Should we try soaking the feed or switching to crumbles?

Please remember they are not my chickens, and I’m trying to improve their conditions, not all owners care for chickens as much as the people on this site. I don’t want to see them all locked in the indoor coop, which has scaly leg mites and a lice problem (which I am treating but the coop is 60 years old and wood, so it’s an ongoing challenge)

I am no help but wanted to commend you for trying to help what sounds like deplorable conditions these poor chickens are living in.

 

[MissChick@dee]

These ones didn’t start eating the eggs til one went broody, I think she was starving herself, I went in and took her off the eggs 4 times a day and managed to break the broody (red sex links are bred not to be, so imagine my surprise when she started sitting!) but from there on its been a problem, and seems to be catching... which is why I am thinking it’s diet related as well

Yes it could be certainly. You can up the protein. A very inexpensive way is to give canned cat food “tuna”.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Inexpensive ?
Seriously ?
Besides , everyone keeps looking at the protein amount & that's not what makes them lay at all . what makes them lay is called Lysine .
Excessive protein intake ups a birds need for hunger and excessive amounts will cause them to eventually become cannibalistic .
Canned dog or cat food would be the most expensive means of feeding any animal .
The cheapest means of uping the protein intake is by just providing the hens with the proper feed to begin with. Real food science experts have had their hands and brains in the poultry industry far longer than you or I/ we & we've got 40 years in the poultry industry. Believe me , just get a bag of layer pellets , it literally has everything in it for a wholesome , balanced , nutrional diet that a hen requires.

Here's the real issue though that I believe everyone has missed ,
How old are these hens ? Are they over 2 yrs old ?
The typical golden comet or red sex link is only worth feeding for the 1st year and is a typical good producer for the normal home for another year . this is why big egg farms rotate their sex links out on a yearly basis.because their data watches feed vs. Cost vs. Production.egg farms sell off their red sex links for $0.50 ea. But you have to buy about a thousand at a time before they'll sell the old worn out hen to you. Years ago the egg houses use to run them thru kill plants and process them but they were so ate up with infections that U.S.D.A. was just throwing the birds away , I know , I was there .
Inside a hen lays her egg sac , it contains all the eggs she will lay during her lifetime , she may spit one out from time to time as she ages but her feed consumption will outweigh her egg production.
An 8' x 8' x 8' coop can technically hold A LOT of birds and be low stressed. Although you have to install perch bars . U.S.D.A.'s math is an imaginary 1' bubble around each bird so with 3 perch bars 8' long that's about 22 birds per coop .U.S.D.A. Doesn't consider ground space .

The OP the way I take it was worried about the birds being underweight and lacking protein since they eat their eggs. Laying is not her problem if I have read all the posts correctly.
Best wishes

 

[MissChick@dee]

Sorry but the lack of protein isn't what causes a chicken to eat their egg. If so then they would be pecking feathers and drawing blood and cannibalizing . when a chicken eats an egg they may lack protein but that's not the cause , there's an underlying cause generally. Usually when a hen eats her egg its either associated with lack of calcium, something driving the bird insane so its behavior becomes erratic or it is associated with mental issues generally caused by poor breeding practices in which improper line breeding took place . it may be a lack of protein , but there's sufficient protein in layer pellets .

Thank you for your input but if you did read from the start. They are not her chickens. They are not getting proper feed and attention or care. She’s trying to help as much as she can. She wants to take over care of these poor birds. I hope she is able to accomplish this. So... I’m gonna kindly stand behind my suggestion of canned tuna. In dyer situations the uptake Of protein could only help. Best wishes

 

[Kris5902]

They are commercial layers, which were about 18 weeks when we got them in early August this year, so they are coming up on a year old. They are receiving the balanced layer pellets, mixed with whole wheat (I don’t know why she feeds this way, but it’s the way it’s “always been done here”). They lay well and were all producing eggs 5 days a week throughout summer.

I don’t know how guineas would help with scaly leg mites. I have been treating the old birds with Vaseline and mineral oil to smother them, but the coop is impossible to throughly clean without resorting to a can of gasoline and a match (without chickens in it!).

Now some of the old birds... they don’t lay well at all, but they are all 5 years or older, so we don’t expect much from them and they will be allowed to die of old age. We don’t mind feeding them because they fed us for a long time.

 

[Kris5902]

Sorry , once again you're completely wrong about your suggestion of canned cat tuna being cheap.
Further along , you're still completely wrong about the protein issue.
Yes , I read the post , however , it doesn't seem like you have .have you honestly taken everything in consideration posted in the initial post , including cost. It is not cheap to buy canned cat tuna , it is not cheap to buy any tuna in any can , nowhere ... It is in fact cheaper to buy the proper feed meant for chickens .

I have read that heavily trimmed or debeaked chickens can have trouble with pellets... which is why I am considering supplementally feeding a fermented 22% mash in addition to the pellets and wheat they are being given. I am not in a position to change the established farm practices with other people’s livestock without first proving my methods to be economically viable and effective. This is why I’ve invested in my own chicks and will begin implementing husbandry changes with them.