Chickens Eating Eggs

[Jim41]

My RIRs are eatting a lot of eggs. What should i do ? Seems like a waste of money to feed them if im not getting eggs. Have 15 chikns and if i get lucky and get to the eggs before they do i get 4or5 a day some days 0. they have food scratch o shell and fresh water why do they eat eggs?

 

[emvickrey]

I'm no pro on the matter but I'm guessing they need protein. They should be getting layer crumbles also. I mix scratch grains with layer crumbles and I also have a large tray of oyster shell for them to eat as they wish. And several times a week I give treats such as canned fish, oats (the kind you would make oatmeal out of), bread, vegetable scraps as long as there is no butter or grease used to cook them. We also go to our local convience store and buy the remaining food left at the end of the day and feed the hamburgers and some of the other stuff that isn't deep fried. Yes, chickens can eat cooked chicken. Meat is protein. I also will cook extra scrambled eggs so there is enough to share with my chickens. I wash the shells, let dry then crush in my Ultimate chopper and add that to their food also. It makes more of a powder out of the shells. Provides calcium. They get apples and grapes, cantelope, pumpkin. Pretty much any fruits and vegetables but no citrus.

So to sum it up, I feed them pretty much anything except for greasy foods and citrus. I don't drain the water off the canned fish when I mix oats with it. I drain it when I don't. And I always add grit to all people foods I mix up for them or toss a handful in their food dish.

They also are let out very often to free range.

When you have a meal with left overs, just put them in a bucket everyday for the chickens and give them to them. They may not eat it at first or all of it but eventually they'll get used to it and be waiting to see you with a bucket. Mine get all excited when they see me carrying a bucket or a bag. That means they have treats that day. Oh bread, did I mention that. I give mine the ends to the bread in the loaves or what we toss out as long as it isn't moldy, biscuits, cornbread, rolls, buns. I have one that will jump up to eat right out of my hand. She is more of a goat than a chicken but it's pretty cool to see her do it.

 

[gsim]

It may be due to a lack of protein. That can be addressed by what you feed them. If not that, you will need to first confine them so that they cannot lay out somewhere in the yard or wherever, and eat it. You will also have to re-do all of your nests so that they are tapered as a funnel and the egg rolls back to a place only you can access. You will have to confine them to imprint on them where to lay.

If that is too much you will have to destroy them because they cannot be broken of that.

 

[Lesa]

I presume you are finding broken eggs? Remember they aren't going to lay as much with the shortened sunlight. Try to collect eggs as often as you can- I put golf balls in the nesting boxes and that seemed to help. I think they peck the golf balls and give up on the eggs...Don't give up.

 

[Andi]

When my girls started laying they were doing the same thing. I think it may have started when they were curious about what the eggs were and they pecked at them. Seeing the shells were still soft they were able to get at the good stuff inside and found they liked it.

I also upped the protein and calcium and started giving them scraps as well as things like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, malt-o-meal, bread, molasses and oil (because I'm in Minnesota and its darn chilly here). Once in a while I've been giving them some of the canned Bennifuls dog food which is loaded with all kinds of stuff, but also includes some meat.

So far after making those changes I haven't had an issue. It may possibly be also because I've been going out several times a day to get eggs before they freeze. Who knows. Maybe the thrill just wore off.

Good luck. Its frustrating, I know.

 

[the simple life]

They also do it out of boredom and its a learned behavior so if one does it they quickly teach the others to do it.
Usually it starts with an egg that gets broken accidentally, once a hen eats it they develop a taste for it and begin breaking eggs to get it.
As for protein, as long as you are giving them layer pellets or crumbles and are not giving them too much scratch or people food then they should be getting enough, when you start to give them alot of household foods that do not have protein in them then you are taking protein away from them because they will eat less of their layer pellets.

 

[rufus]

Don't automatically assume it is the chickens. I caught an old tom cat pushing eggs out of the nest. Once they were broken, the hens joined in. I put a higher lip on the edge of the nest box. That solved the problem.

Search for the roll away nest on this website. The eggs roll back behind a false back to where the hens cannot get at them. I made my nest boxes out of an old cabinet I found in the alley. It is backed up to the coop and it sits on a slight slant to get the eggs to roll back.

Make sure your chickens are getting enough protein and greens. Don't forget the oyster shell.

Rufus

 

[happyhensny]

My hens were eating eggs, I switched to a local feed mill and not the "store" brand and they stopped in about 1 week. A friend suggested this saying that some commercial feeds have too much "animal products" (not sure what that is) and promote egg eating. It has been at least 6 mths and NO egg eating. Try it, we have to feed them anyway.

 

[emvickrey]

Quote:
The canned dog food is a good idea but alot of that is filler unless you use the more expensive brands. Canned cat food has lost of protein in it. I buy canned fish, such as Makerel and tuna when it's on sale I buy up a bunch of it. The dog food that has meat chunks is good but the mushed up stuff has alot of stuff like dead animals and stuff like that. There is a plant here that collects things such as barrels of fish scraps and scraps from the processing plants and most of it is rotten. They cook it down and sell it to dog food companies such as Alpo and also Maybeline for cosmetics. Thats why I don't wear make-up. I know Alpo is one because DH used to drive for the plant and he delivered the powdered mess to the Alpo Plant. My dogs don't eat Alpo either. I'm sure the cheaper dog foods have the same stuff in it. Just read the labels.

You can make them quit eating their own eggs if you change their diet. They are needing protein. If they continue then they may as well be culled.

 

[emvickrey]

Quote:
I get my feed at Rural King. Tractor Supply costs too much but they carry the Dumar, (I think it's called), It is actually the best brand that I've heard of but t is too costly for me. That is what Tyson feeds their chickens for fast growth and the hens for egg production. They also hatch their own eggs so that brand must be a good one. They hold a contest every year during the fair for the best chicken raised. And it is for kids. It's $10 and Tyson gives each child (each $10) 25 chicks and 1 #40 bag of food. The food isn't what they use for theirs. It's more of what I buy for mine. They give the kids 2 months to raise their chickens and hold 1 meeting to teach them how to carry, hold and show their chickens and they are suppose to pick out the best 3 hens that are the same size. They have to give them a bath before they take them too. After the judging is over and the 3 champions are picked each child picks one chicken and they are auctioned off. The kids get the money. Tyson takes all the birds that are brought to the fair and gives them to the processing plant to be made into dog food. That part of it sucks. Anyway. I don't know how I got into thatl

Back to the subject. We have a local CO-OP that I got some feed from and the starter was crushed and the scratch grains was all powdery. So I make the 45 minute drive to Rural King and buy my feed there. But I mix Layer Crumbles with the Scratch Grains for the layers. The younger ones just get scratch grains and babies of course get starter. All of them get scraps and treets.