Colorado

[annav410]

I officially have an egg eater. Likeliest suspects are Velvet the Australorp and Pidge the banty Cochin. Velvet has had a habit of pecking her eggs (she leaves a nice round hole in the skinny tip) and walking away, but not one eaten egg in 2 years. Pidge just started laying and is mixed in with gals laying eggs for the first time. I have had Pidge for about five months now but no one was laying when I put her in the banty coop. I am leaning towards Pidge. I THINK it's Velvets eggs being eaten.

Any advise/insight out there?

I noticed that there is a good article in the Learning Center that addresses this.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/six-tips-on-breaking-your-egg-eater

I thought the idea of filling up an egg with mustard might be a good place to start. Hopefully the experts on this thread will have further insights.

PS We went to a chicken seminar and the local extension rep discussed this issue and she was not confidant that this habit can be broken once started. Hopefully that isn't the case and some of the ideas you get on this will work. Keep us updated.

 

[coloradogal]

Cogal are your ducks hens or drakes? How old?


I probably missed your post on them. Sorry.

I have one peking drake and one gal and one little runner female. I sort of like the little runner the pekings are just big and fat, although she lays well. The pekings are bonded and go everyplace together. The little runner is more chickenlike.

 

[Chesterchook]

I have one peking drake and one gal and one little runner female. I sort of like the little runner the pekings are just big and fat, although she lays well. The pekings are bonded and go everyplace together. The little runner is more chickenlike.

Hey happy 1000th post!

 

[coloradogal]

Hey happy 1000th post!

=) How is your hatch going?

 

[Chesterchook]

Discarded some clear eggs the other day, all but a few of which looked like they never got started. The eggs we got from you are actually doing the best so far, we've concluded that resting a few days after transport may have helped. Going into lockdown today with about 2/3 of what we started with. Working on getting together eggs to set for the next batch

 

[drumstick diva]

Congrats Preston - nothin' to it - just give eggs to a broody and take a long nap. Eazy peazy

 

[coloradogal]

Discarded some clear eggs the other day, all but a few looked like they never got started. The eggs we got from you are actually doing the best so far, we've concluded that resting a few days after transport may have helped. Going into lockdown today with about 2/3 of what we started with. Working on getting together eggs to set for the next batch

I mostly incubated olive, green and silkie eggs last batch and wasn't expecting the silkie or the green eggs to do much. I was absolutely stupified when all but 1 hatched. I have lots of muffled faces and 5 toed babies. =) So let me know if you'd like to mix it up on your next hatch.

 

[Chesterchook]

I mostly incubated olive, green and silkie eggs last batch and wasn't expecting the silkie or the green eggs to do much. I was absolutely stupified when all but 1 hatched. I have lots of muffled faces and 5 toed babies. =) So let me know if you'd like to mix it up on your next hatch.

Well then maybe resting the eggs was just incidental. We were trying to figure out what had been done differently between your eggs and others we set, and yours had sat on top of the fridge for a few days while the others went into the incubator 2 or 3 hours after we got them home. Looks like you're doing something right with your birds, or maybe it's hybrid vigor?

 

[drumstick diva]

It's warm on top of a refridgerator - maybe that made a differnce - our fridge almost gets hot on top.

 

[Cellarrat1]

I have RIR and BBs available. I have to go see my mom for a week so I won't start a new batch until I return.
Can't wait to hear how your hatch comes out. Always so exciting.

Discarded some clear eggs the other day, all but a few of which looked like they never got started.  The eggs we got from you are actually doing the best so far, we've concluded that resting a few days after transport may have helped.  Going into lockdown today with about 2/3 of what we started with.  Working on getting together eggs to set for the next batch