Egg eater problem

[sourland]

We have a variety of chicken breeds and never had an egg eating problem until we added White Rock hens last summer; I don't know if the behavior is breed related. We never had nest boxes - for years the hens picked a bit of mulch in the coop and layed wherever, but we put them in the past year to see if it would increase egg production. Production was fine but retrieval was zip because they seemed to eat each others eggs. I've taken the nest boxes out, and now everyone is laying where they please again. The only eggs that seem to get eaten now are those that are layed where the nest boxes used to be. I suppose the nest boxes set up some sort of territorial behavior. I'll certainly try making an egg with mustard in it. Can't hurt. It's so annoying to go to retrieve eggs and find the White Rocks having a feast on several crushed eggs. Any other advice would be welcome.

Did you acquire the white rocks as adults? If so I would be willing to bet that their previous owner got rid of them because of their egg eating habit. The behavior is not breed related.

 

[kcfuerst]

I was having a problem with egg eating. I sent one of my hens to freezer camp for the offense and it has slowed down to an occasional incident. For me what worked was using very dark green wash cloths as curtains strung with a wire across the nests to cover the entire entrance to make it as dark as possible. The girls love it, get in and out with ease, seem to welcome the darkness, and I have only found one egg open which looked like it was accidentally smashed and still in tact since installing the "curtains".

 

[mamabigbird]

Okay, here's an update on the egg eating saga.
First, the curtains are working out great, only one hen was confused and laid her egg on the floor. But now they all seem quite happy with the curtains.
And the mustard /dish soap bait egg seemed to work as well. I'm still getting a tiny poke hole in the blue egg but they are not actually eating it or breaking it open.
I have my fingers crossed that the problem is solved.
Thanks to everybody that chimed in.

 

[sourland]

Good update. Hopefully the problem is resolved.

 

[mamabigbird]

ARRRRGH!!!!
Problem not solved. Okay there is still a problem with either breakage or plundering.
I have noticed that the blue eggshells are very delicate compared to the brown eggs.
My BIL who picks up my chicken feed for me says he has been buying 18% layer pellets
and wonders if the 16% might actually have more calcium.
He is going to ask next time he stops in to the feed store.
My blue egg layers are new pullets (only been laying for a couple of months) and I'm hoping their eggs harden up soon.
I'm going to go pick up oyster shell for them in case it is a calcium problem.
I put out another mustard egg last night and it had been rolled around but not broken open or eaten.
So I just don't know what is going on.

 

[starhobo14]

And the mystery of the blue egg continues on....
But in all seriousness I like this thread. I worry that someday I will have a problem like this and these are all interesting points. I may install 'curtains' soon.

 

[mamabigbird]

Yes it is a mystery. No breakage yesterday, and I haven't been out to check yet today. Just crawled outta bed and gotta check my BYC over coffee.
To add to the mystery I am getting 4 blue eggs some days (including any broken ones) and only 3 EE pullets. I can only imagine that my old spent EE hen Matilda has come back on line or one of my pullets is doing double duty? Is that even possible? It would maybe explain the weak shells.

P.S. I love the picture in your avatar, Starhobo.

And the mystery of the blue egg continues on....
But in all seriousness I like this thread. I worry that someday I will have a problem like this and these are all interesting points. I may install 'curtains' soon.

 

[endo12]

Well ours are entirely enclosed in a chicken wire run and no other animals have entry. Now essentially all the eggs in the one coop get eaten no matter where they are layed in the coop. Have to try the mustard egg yet. Once the egg is opened everyone gets in the act, so it's hard to figure out who is starting the event - or many may just like eggs for breakfast. There are a dozen hens in that one coop and yard, so we're losing a lot of eggs. It seems to be the rock hens who are most involved. So disappointing. Just pulled the eggs from the other coop, but none from this coop.

 

[kjfrogster41]

After reading over the egg eating threads and having a good chuckle at fancy box curtains, marauding scrub jays and owners lurking around pens to spy on hens. I still have an unanswered question regarding egg shells. Is it then not good to feed the girls crushed egg shell as an inexpensive method of getting them calcium?

I haven't done so as yet but wanted to know if any one out there does that and if so what were the results.

Thanks!

 

[mamabigbird]

Yes, my girls get crushed eggshells almost daily. I sprinkle some on the floor of the coop near the feeder and some gets sprinkled into the feed.
I don't wash them or cook them, just dry them out and crush them.
I think the crushed oyster shells may be better calcium but eggshells are free and plentiful.

After reading over the egg eating threads and having a good chuckle at fancy box curtains, marauding scrub jays and owners lurking around pens to spy on hens. I still have an unanswered question regarding egg shells. Is it then not good to feed the girls crushed egg shell as an inexpensive method of getting them calcium?

I haven't done so as yet but wanted to know if any one out there does that and if so what were the results.

Thanks!