Egg breakers

[monti]

Ok I have 2 hens in separate coop. They are my egg breakers! Grr well one of them is.
What do you do with your egg breaker? I was thinking about figuring out which one is the egg breaker and cull her.
Make some chicken n noodles lol

 

[jpalmatier83]

Honestly, I’ve never had a problem with egg “breakers”. Eaters, yes.

Do you mean there’s actually a hen that steps on eggs and breaks them?

Do you feed layer feed? Or offer oyster shell/calcium on the side?

Sounds like you may actually have a thin shell problem.

 

[monti]

Yes egg eaters lol

Yes they get feed layer feed from a local mill
They have oysters shells offered
Maybe I should get some calcium for them and see

 

[jpalmatier83]

Yes egg eaters lol

Yes they get feed layer feed from a local mill
They have oysters shells offered
Maybe I should get some calcium for them and see

Hmmm. Got it.

There are a lot of threads about egg eaters here.

Calcium will just thicken the shell, if it’s thin to start, and not really curb the behavior.

One thing I’ve done is to “blow out” an egg (poke holes in top and bottom of shell) and fill with mustard. It does two things, the eater doesn’t like the taste, also stains their face yellow.

Try it a couple days. If it doesn’t stop the egg eating, at least you know who’s doing it.

 

[aart]

Ok I have 2 hens in separate coop. They are my egg breakers! Grr well one of them is.
What do you do with your egg breaker? I was thinking about figuring out which one is the egg breaker and cull her.
Make some chicken n noodles lol

Are they breaking hard shelled eggs to eat... or are the eggs eaten thin or soft shelled???

 

[monti]

Hard
I noticed when I had them with the flock. Eggs would be broken up. Now since I have those 2 hens out I don't find broken eggs .

 

[monti]

Hmmm. Got it.

There are a lot of threads about egg eaters here.

Calcium will just thicken the shell, if it’s thin to start, and not really curb the behavior.

One thing I’ve done is to “blow out” an egg (poke holes in top and bottom of shell) and fill with mustard. It does two things, the eater doesn’t like the taste, also stains their face yellow.

Try it a couple days. If it doesn’t stop the egg eating, at least you know who’s doing it.

I will try the mustard trick

 

[Folly's place]

I have removed such birds when I figure out who they are. If it's not a diet or overcrowding problem, and if the shells aren't fragile, then a bird who's decided to deliberately break and eat eggs is not an asset.
Mary

 

[monti]

Agree I don't think it's over crowding
The area these 2 are in is a big area
Seemed like when they were with the whole flock. They laid eggs in one nesting box and would break in there.
Now in the new area (which they have been in the new area for awhile like over a month). If they lay an egg on the ground it's been broken and ate
I think they will be chicken n noodles