collecting eggs

[HEChicken]

I don't think I've ever had a broken egg. Some of the things that occur to me are: how many nestboxes do you have? If they are all crowding into one box, that could explain some breakage. Also, do they have oyster shell available. If the eggs are breaking that easily, it sounds like the shells are too thin. Heck, I dropped one onto hard ground once after collecting it and even that egg didn't break! Last, is it possible you have an egg eater who is deliberately breaking the eggs in order to get into them?

 

[Louieandthecrew]

I get an egg a day from my one hen

What I think you should do is buy a packet of "Oyster Shell". All you do is put them in the food and the hens will eat them. Hardening the hens eggshells, it will make them less likely to break

That's what I do and whenever I want to make an omlet, fried egg, etc. from my hen it takes me two pounds on the side of the pan just to crack it open!

 

[mons02035]

I have 5 hens. I was having issue with broken/eatne eggs for the past month. After reading on here and other places I started with very small changes. My first change was to put a little taller lip on the front of my nesting boxes, as they were knocking out some of the eggs and they would crack and then they would eat them. Second change was to change the bedding in the boxes. I use to just have the mats down. So, I added some hay to make it softer. My third change, I put golf balls back into the boxes so that when they try to peck the balls, they get nothing..... It has been a week and a half now and I have gotten 5 eggs every day but the last 2 (I got 4). But, no more broken eggs and no more eaten eggs.

Goodluck to you.

Oh, I have 3 boxes for 5 hens.

 

[dandelionheart]

Quote:
Ditto here. I usually collect the eggs quite often though... so much fun! And yeah, our eggs don't break very easily - sometimes I have to give a couple of wacks just to crack them!

 

[Sunshine Chick 1]

Out of 13 eggs today two were broke open and the egg eaten, but the shell was still there. I do have bedding in the nesting boxes, but they lay most of the time on the floor of the coops. We have 2 coops with that many hens. So they are not kicking them out of the nesting boxes. The ones in the boxes are usually okay or just the shell there and the egg is gone. I think someone is eating them. I am going to try the golf ball idea.
Thanks for all the info.