Egg-eater on her first day?

[sparkles2307]

It was a big day yesterday. I got 2 first eggs from a couple of my welsummers. I also had one lay a shell-less egg from the rafters and a GLW laid one that got eaten by a wellie. Then the wellie tried to eat her own egg but I grabbed it from her. No one else is trying to be an egg-eater. Is there anything I can do other than filling an egg with mustard or hot sauce? I'd like to keep her since she is a wellie and I want lots of dark eggs.

 

[adkchickmama]

I use ceramic or wooden eggs to discourage the egg eating habit. You have to collect the eggs frequently during the day also so temptation is not there. If that doesn't work I would use the mustard filled egg trick and see if that doesn't discourage her. Good Luck

 

[sparkles2307]

Yea our issue is that we both work FT an hour from home so we can check at 6:00 a.m. and then we are gone till 5:30 p.m. I told him to put golf balls in this morning before I left but I might have to fill an egg or two tonight

 

[sparkles2307]

We put golf balls in the nest boxes. Then I got home yesterday there was yolk all over the golf balls and 3 hens in there happily munching. What do I do!? I am so dicouraged, I have waitied ALL WINTER for a stinking egg and now that they are laying, the eggs are eaten when I get home from work! DH suggests putting the primary offender in solitary to prevent her from teaching the bad habit to the others.... can I do this and give her a mustard-filled egg to break her of it? Is it too late and the others learned it after 2 days seeing her do it?

 

[Kittymomma]

Try seperating her for now, it won't hurt and might help. What are you feeding the girls and do you offer any oyster shell? Egg eaters are hard to break (stew pot

) but if you are having thin/soft shells that could be the root of the problem.

If all else fails and you don't want to cull you can do a search for roll away nest boxes. These are designed so that the eggs roll away to a seperate collection box after they're laid and the hens can't get to them.

 

[gryeyes]

When a chicken eats an egg, is there any evidence left? I have 2 Lakenvelders who WERE laying, but now are not. 2 other pullets have started laying in the past two weeks... the Lakenvelders laid a couple eggs at the same time as the FIRST eggs of my other pullets, but then stopped.

They're a year old this month.... the rest of my flock is between 23 and 26 weeks old. The Lakenvelders don't LOOK like they're moulting.

I haven't seen ANY egg shards or egg yolk anywhere around, butg ot two eggs a day from my 2 new layers, so I rather thought those eggs would be eaten too, IF there was an egg-eater in the flock.

Could the older pullets just be taking a break, now that the younger girls are starting to lay? "Your turn, girls. We're tired. That danged rooster just tires us out. YOU all take over now."

 

[sparkles2307]

Quote:
Nope there isnt any evidence left, but I have caught her twice with the empty shell in her beak...

 

[Lesa]

Remember, chickens are laying eggs to reproduce- they check the eggs they lay, roll them around etc. If the shell is soft, they will break the egg with their beak. Then, they eat the egg. Make sure your shells are nice and hard. I have had very little problem, since learning this. I like the golf ball idea, too. When I find evidence of an eaten egg, it is always a paper thin shell. Just an idea.....

 

[sparkles2307]

I just got them a big bag of layer feed, will that have enough calcium for the shells? Cuase our local feed store is teeny and caters to cattle farmers not so much chicken folks and they didnt have calcium yesterday when I was getting the layer feed...

 

[Lesa]

That will be a start- see if you can get oyster shell. If not, I run my egg shells through the food processor and those that need extra, eat it... It is so easy to panic, when you know they are eating eggs- but often I think it is just them doing what nature tells them to do... What would be the point of sitting on eggs that are so delicate? Good luck!