Do I have an egg eater?!!

[chicken mama 0908]

I have got a broken egg two days in a row. The first one I saw at night, and it had no shell left. I checked the nesting box yesterday at noon and there was another egg cracked, I couldn't tell if this one had been broken by a beak or a hen's weight. Do I have an egg eater? Also, my hens have only been laying around two weeks. I have one nesting box per two birds and twenty hens, but all the hens lay in the same four boxes.

 

[LaFleche]

I have got a broken egg two days in a row. The first one I saw at night, and it had no shell left. I checked the nesting box yesterday at noon and there was another egg cracked, I couldn't tell if this one had been broken by a beak or a hen's weight. Do I have an egg eater? Also, my hens have only been laying around two weeks. I have one nesting box per two birds and twenty hens, but all the hens lay in the same four boxes.

To me this seems to be a case of a young pullet that has issues with her shell gland and calcium uptake which can happen at the beginning as their body still is adjusting.

Do they have a source of extra calcium like crushed oyster shells or their own egg shells dried and crushed free choice?

Nest eggs made of wood or plaster or even golf balls will make the other nest boxes more enticing. Put one in each nest and leave them in always.

 

[chicken mama 0908]

Do they have a source of extra calcium like crushed oyster shells or their own egg shells dried and crushed free choice?

They did have oyster shells, but just finished them last week.

 

[LaFleche]

They did have oyster shells, but just finished them last week.

It is important that they always have plenty of it.

 

[aart]

I checked the nesting box yesterday at noon and there was another egg cracked, I couldn't tell if this one had been broken by a beak or a hen's weight.

Was the shell good and thick or thin and weak?

 

[chicken mama 0908]

Was the shell good and thick or thin and weak?

It seemed normal.

 

[chicken mama 0908]

Yesterday I collected eggs multiple times during the day. I got no broken ones.

 

[hahmmy]

I am so sorry to hear this! I have had chickens for years but my last flock kinda went beserk on me. I had marans, leghorns, and one easter egger, 7 total. They started eating eggs and I could never be sure who it was. I tried fake eggs to discourage them and they actually cracked a ceramic egg in half, I filled one with mustard to no avail. Eventually I got 0 eggs and my coop was full of cracked egg shells. I sadly had to cull them all, I have new chicks but none of those same breeds. I hope it does not happen again!