egg eater....

[scalaway]

Just a quick question...We've got 5 hens right now. Two Red Stars (1 1/2 yrs old) 2 white leghorns and one mix barred something or other. We've got an egg eater...just the dark BIG brown eggs our Red Stars lay...I can't seem to figure out who it is---any suggestions?? It makes me so mad to go out to the coop in the AM to find the eggs eaten!! They don't usually eat the white eggs (leghorns) or the light brown eggs (from our mixed hen) -- it's almost always the drk brown eggs from the Red Stars....Thanks for the advice

!!

 

[Rollins2708]

I'm having the same problem. I started seperating some of my hens until I can find the egg eater. Since I have split them up they seem to have stopped. Wish you luck.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

It generally is the hen with yolk all over her beak
you can do this
put shingles mailed to the top of the nests and leave 3 inches up from the bottom of the nest for the hen to get under the shingle and get in
some times that discourages the egg eater
also I would take a head of cabbage and wrap in a piece of chicken wire and hang from the top of the ceiling down to about 12 inches from floor
they will then eat that and not the eggs
also gather eggs more often
on the week end stay at the chicken house and watch the hens as most lay before 10:30 am may be you will see which one it is

 

[shortcake1806]

I agree look for the one with egg yolk on her beek. If you have one you're more suspisous of remove her from the pen for a day does the egg eating stop. You could figure it out by process of elimination.

 

[Imp]

I had this same problem last December with new laying pullets. I was able to break them from egg eating by rearranging the coop to shake things up. Adding 5 gallon buckets as nests. Putting golf balls and stone eggs in the nests. And collecting as often as I could. It was fortunate that I was on vacation at the time. Others have suggested filling blown out eggs with mustard or horseradish. And adding more protein or calcium to their diet. Also I have heard of people adding curtains in front of the nests so the eggs weren't so visible and it is darker in the nests. Good Luck.

Imp/Russ

 

[TexasVet]

I was convinced that one of my hens was eating eggs, because I was finding yolk and egg shells in the nests. Turned out to be a rat snake!

Sneak in the coop earlier than usual and see what you run across. I caught mine at about 7:00 in the morning; I usually gathered the eggs around noon.

Could be a raccoon or a possum too.

Kathy, Bellville Texas
www.CountryChickens.com

 

[scalaway]

Quote:
Interesting!!! I never thought of a rat snake...are they indigenous to Ohio?? Yucko!! I'm pretty sure it's one of our hens---one of the redstars to be exact---I think a snake might not be as picky with "which eggs" it took--it's always my drk brown eggs from the red stars. -- You've all given me some great ideas

-- I'm off to the store to buy some fake eggs

!! I found some really great ones @ cracker barrel 60% off --they're stone and a great shape too --the cabbage idea sounds good too.....I'll be grabbing some of that as well!! You guys are the best

! Thanks

!!

 

[sillybirds]

Yeah, the Cracker Barrel ceramic eggs are great! They almost look too real. When we first got them my DW and DD brought the egg basket back half-filled with the fake eggs!

 

[scalaway]

Okay...fake eggs are in place,(really pretty stone one's from cracker barrel

!!) there's cabbage hanging from the ceiling and I filled up a couple of 5 gallon buckets with bedding as well....got my fingers crossed.... we'll see what happens

!! I wondered about the whole "getting enough calcium/whatever" in their diets, but their egg shells are really nice and thick and we've got grit out there for them to eat if they want it......who knows...........thanks for all the great advice

! Hopefully it'll work

!!