I actually feed eggs back to my flock regularly if they're too dirty or cracked. I don't even go that far as to crack them away from the flock. I feed them back whole and raw and crack them on the ground in front of the birds. They absolutely refuse to touch them if they're not cracked open enough. Sometimes they bounce, they run over, peck once or twice hoping it is cracked, then walk away. Even if they'd just eaten another cracked egg. It's pretty easy to show the chickens "Here's a cracked open egg!" and they still won't touch one that's not. If they did regularly think of uncracked eggs as food then chickens would have a tough time reproducing.
It's pretty rare that egg eating as a habit stems from eating eggs. Usually it stems from hormonal issues, flock imbalances, perceived unsafe nesting sites, nutritional deficiencies, or other problems. For me, egg eating is 99% seasonal. I wonder if Mtns experience reflected a need for calcium or protein in their diets or boredom.
It's pretty rare that egg eating as a habit stems from eating eggs. Usually it stems from hormonal issues, flock imbalances, perceived unsafe nesting sites, nutritional deficiencies, or other problems. For me, egg eating is 99% seasonal. I wonder if Mtns experience reflected a need for calcium or protein in their diets or boredom.
