eating own eggs!

[Pamjay]

I know this is bad- I've now started giving them oyster shell for calcium but the behavior hasn't stopped. Suggestions???

 

[burquechick]

It's very hard to stop once it's started. I wouldn't know where to begin, but perhaps others have good ideas.

 

[Di]

How old are your chicks? Did they just start laying? When my chicks first started laying, they did that. I watched and realized it wasn't the hen who laid the egg, but others. They would come into the nest, step on the eggs that had been laid, one would break, so they had a snack. I then, like you, found out about making oyster shell available for them. So, I did that as well as I started going down to the coop several times a day and pick up any eggs. I now pretty much pick up all the eggs in the evening. The girls seem to like to lay in the same boxes, so occasionally one will be broken (and eaten), but not often enough to make me think it was anything other than an off-balanced hen stepping on a weak shelled egg. Be sure to take any debris out of the box. It's okay that they eat the shell, but it should be crumbled. I hope your situation is as easy a fix as this was. Good luck!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

My BO's ALWAYS stepped on eggs & broke them. I think on purpose so they could eat it. I now have NO BO's.

 

[yes2matt]

I have had this off and on. Currently off.

More padding in the box under the egg (another layer or two of straw) gives a stepped-on egg somewhere to sink. Eliminating the "accidents" can help them not discover the food source.

More awareness of who is doing what and when, so you can retrieve the eggs asap. And also if you have a particular culprit you can get her out of that system either by segregation so she can unlearn, or by stewpot.

Definitely don't want one bad apple teaching others to look for food in the laying boxes!

 

[rufus]

Try the roll away nest boxes. If the hens can't get to the eggs, they can't eat them. Search for it on this site.

Beware, I thought I had an egg eater, but it turned out to be alley cats. Secure your coop so that they cannot get into it.

Rufus

 

[pnuts]

is it bad to feed them their own eggs? there are so many that i cant eat them all and they seem to enjoy them. i read on a website that its good for them.

 

[burquechick]

Quote:
I wouldn't want them to. It can promote disease.

 

[pnuts]

ok i will find a new calcium source thanks

 

[bigspringshatchery]

Quote:
It may not be a calcium shortage. I think that once they taste egg they love it. My hens has always had oyster shell but u had a hen start eating eggs so I took get out and she still eats. So I think it's more the taste than anything. But I may be wrong.

As to stop it you can put wooden or fake eggs in the boxes. Or take a egg drill a small hole in one end and a little bigger hole in the other end and blow out the yummy stuff and fill it with mustard or the hottest hot sauce you can find. If none if that works then time for stew or dumplings.