Cubalaya Thread For Sharing Pics and Discussing Our Birds

[VictorB]

Mine are just the opposite. Mine are like lazy house cats that just let you reach under and get the eggs out. They only get protective when they are broody and setting on eggs to hatch them. Maybe your pullet is going broody. Mine are not eggs eater.

 

[troyer]

Can someone tell me if their birds are notorious egg eaters? And are they screamers when in the nest box? My pullet, is a very ...private, girl when laying an egg and will fiercely scream and peck if she feels you are too close!

I got a 4 year old hen from a friend and she will eat not only her eggs, but also the eggs of others. I've tried breaking her from it all to no avail. She is a very good typed hen but what good does it do if I can't get any chicks out of her. None of the ones I've raised have ever eaten eggs. I am contemplating to just get rid of her.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

I got a 4 year old hen from a friend and she will eat not only her eggs, but also the eggs of others. I've tried breaking her from it all to no avail. She is a very good typed hen but what good does it do if I can't get any chicks out of her. None of the ones I've raised have ever eaten eggs. I am contemplating to just get rid of her.

Oh gee, have you tried supplements... she sounds deficient in something, I would give her oyster shells, laying feed, vities & chopped up hard boiled eggs. If you have tried the feed thing & that has not worked she has developed an obviously bad habit (birdy crazy)... so she can not be a keeper for eggs... but I have a few ideas on how to get her eggs before kicking her out of the flock.

Before getting rid of her I would isolate her and put a wireless camera in the pen hooked up with your computer to monitor her, you need to determine when she is likely to lay, and then you have a good chance at timing when to be up and about to save those eggs. You could also modify the nesting box she uses so the egg rolls away into an area she can not get at, like the commercial layer operations. There are no guarantees with either of these ideas (I never had a hen eat her own eggs) but I think they could work. You could also try "breaking" her of peking her eggs by putting fake eggs that are hard in her box (though with bad habits that will be a long shot and take probably a long time and you have to be there to get her eggs so she gets no positive reward for peking her eggs only the negative reward of nothing from the fake eggs).

 

[cubalaya]

egg eating can usually be stopped by putting fake hard eggs in the nesting box, more oyster shell, or free range. you can use a roll away nest for eggs. I have not had a cubalaya egg eater that I can't cure. there have been other breeds(dominques) that were determined to eat every egg. a hen like this can teach the others to eat eggs. sometimes all you can do is cull.

 

[RachaelS]

Currently free ranging 5 Hatchery Hens with 1 non-hatchery Rooster, they are excellent free rangers and cover pretty much all of my property. I have hawks all around and so far, I have not lost anyone. They go to cover if crow flies over, so their predatory avoidance is pretty good. Could be the roosters lead.

However, when I get home they do know it is BOSS time and come running and begging. Makes it easy to put them up.

 

[troyer]

Oh gee, have you tried supplements... she sounds deficient in something, I would give her oyster shells, laying feed, vities & chopped up hard boiled eggs. If you have tried the feed thing & that has not worked she has developed an obviously bad habit (birdy crazy)... so she can not be a keeper for eggs... but I have a few ideas on how to get her eggs before kicking her out of the flock.

Before getting rid of her I would isolate her and put a wireless camera in the pen hooked up with your computer to monitor her, you need to determine when she is likely to lay, and then you have a good chance at timing when to be up and about to save those eggs. You could also modify the nesting box she uses so the egg rolls away into an area she can not get at, like the commercial layer operations. There are no guarantees with either of these ideas (I never had a hen eat her own eggs) but I think they could work. You could also try "breaking" her of peking her eggs by putting fake eggs that are hard in her box (though with bad habits that will be a long shot and take probably a long time and you have to be there to get her eggs so she gets no positive reward for peking her eggs only the negative reward of nothing from the fake eggs).

I have tried every thing except free ranging all the time. She is out every 5 days or so. I tried the fake eggs, the oyster shells, vitamins, higher protein and fermented feed. One person said he feeds them only egg yolks for a week and it cures them every time. I tried that suggestion and thought it cured her, only to have her start eating eggs again after 8 days. I have a feeling it's the shell she's after mostly because she'll eat the shell and sometimes leave the rest of the eggs to mess up the nesting box. We decided to dry all the shells of the eggs we use and try feeding her those to see if that will take care of the problem.

 

[RachaelS]

I am proud to announce I am the new owner of 4 pullets from Jimmy. Thank you sir! They had a long trip but made it safe and sound. They are 8 weeks now. Sorry for the bad pic, they had just gotten here after being in the for 1 more day than they should. Grabbed them and threw them in the pen and took a quick pic. They are settling in now. Need to take a better one soon.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

I have tried every thing except free ranging all the time. She is out every 5 days or so. I tried the fake eggs, the oyster shells, vitamins, higher protein and fermented feed. One person said he feeds them only egg yolks for a week and it cures them every time. I tried that suggestion and thought it cured her, only to have her start eating eggs again after 8 days. I have a feeling it's the shell she's after mostly because she'll eat the shell and sometimes leave the rest of the eggs to mess up the nesting box. We decided to dry all the shells of the eggs we use and try feeding her those to see if that will take care of the problem.

I had a feeling you had probably tried the nutrition solution, and fake egg... the only thing else I can think of is blowing out eggs, and stoping up one end with something (say candle wax) and then refilling the eggs with something chickens hate the taste of but is not actually harmful to them and then plugging up the fill hole, that way when she pecks it open or try to eat the shell she gets a beak full of yuck.

 

[Oldhound]

Troyer, I saw a wooden nest box built on the same principle as the roll away layer cage. The bottom slopes to the rear which is open at the base allowing eggs to roll out of the box to a compartment out of reach of the egg eater . It might prove useful when you have a hen that is worth saving eggs from. I should add that the entry should have a curtain to make the nest as dark as possible .The books I have from the early 1900s recommend dark nests to help prevent egg eating in layer flocks. Bill

 

[troyer]

Troyer, I saw a wooden nest box built on the same principle as the roll away layer cage. The bottom slopes to the rear which is open at the base allowing eggs to roll out of the box to a compartment out of reach of the egg eater . It might prove useful when you have a hen that is worth saving eggs from. I should add that the entry should have a curtain to make the nest as dark as possible .The books I have from the early 1900s recommend dark nests to help prevent egg eating in layer flocks. Bill

I have not done the roll-away idea, but I do have the curtains. I'm liking the roll-away idea a lot. Thanks.