Chickens eating their eggs..

[cube]

The last few mornings I've come out my chickens were eating their own eggs, I tried to push them off but they were going at them like they were the best thing ever. They have never done that before and I am afraid they may get a taste for it and not stop. I am out there first thing in the morning so its not like they have been sitting there forever and they have food and water in their coop so they aren't starving, is there a reason they are doing this and is there a way to get them to knock it off?

 

[ghulst]

Make sure you have bedding in the nest so no eggs will get broke. That may stop it.

 

[cube]

Only half of them lay in the boxes the others lay on the ground. They have really thick shells so they are either stomping them or pecking them.

 

[sillybirds]

Sorry to hear about your egg eating problem!

There's a lot of good advice if you do a search. Here's what I added to a similar thread not too long ago...

Quote:
If you can't get them to stop, then you can as a last resort make your nest boxes the roll away type, if that is feasible for you.

 

[digitS']

You need to work to get them to stop this bad habit, Cube.

Eggs layed on the floor are really vulnerable to being eaten. The nest boxes should be made as appealing as possible - clean, safe, quiet, dark. Get the eggs away from them as soon as possible. Give them some high-protein alternative food choices. Do some BYC searches and follow all advice.

One bad character who breaks eggs will teach the others this habit. Soon, keeping chickens for eggs will be just a dream and you will be left with a nightmare. Lots of folks have had to cull hens because they became egg-eaters. Sometimes, entire flocks have been killed just so the chicken-keeper can start over with new birds.

Steve

 

[chickenkate]

Here is a helpful website:

www.msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_eat_eggs.html

 

[morelcabin]

I found that wooden eggs worked the best for me over the years when egg eating became a problem. Easter is coming...perfect time to find some!

 

[chickiebaby]

Yeah, but, really no need to freak out, though. This can be solved.

1. Keep getting out there and collecting as often as you can. Get your neighbor or friend to do a couple midday runs if you are at work.
2. Feed tons and tons of extra protein. feed em scrambled eggs for breakfast if you have to.
3. If you have to get up early for a few dsya it will be worth it. You cget them eating protein before they can smash the eggs and then you take the eggs away.
4. Everybody else's ideas about fake eggs; someone else posted once that golf balls hurt wen you peck them, and for that reason I think ceramic eggs are prob better than wooden for this.

I have never culled a bird for this, personally, though I have had a few start off this way. I guess its true that if the whole flock turns cannibal you have an unsolveable problem. But it doesnt start off like that so just take care of it now. Best of luck.

 

[cube]

Thanks for all the advice....

I was off today so i checked them every 30 minutes. Out of 9 eggs, they ate two this morning before I let them out for the day, and they only ate one other, and that one was all over the top of the nesting boxes, so I think she may have tried to lay up there and then broke the egg in the process. I keep their boxes clean and full of hay but they still lay some in the boxes and some on the floor of the coop. There coop is kind of open during the day would it be better to keep the coop dark so when they go in they will want to lay and get out?

 

[digitS']

The darkness keeps them from seeing the eggs and what they can't see, they won't eat.

Some folks use fabric curtains in front of the nestboxes to darken the nest. There are also community or tunnel nests which have just been discussed on BYC . The interior is dark.

If you can cover the windows of the coop, hang a light over the feed and water, perhaps they will lay in the darkened areas and leave the eggs.

Steve