Egg eater?

[MandiRock]

I collected eggs this morning at 10 am. I'm trying to do it late morning bc I knew at least of my girls is a midday layer. Well when my son and I went out (he couldn't wait any longer!) I had two eggs, one from my stubborn barred rock who likes to lay on the floor, and one that I believe belongs to my troublesome white rock. I took the white rock egg from underneath another barred rock who was trying to lay, although the white rock was trying to bully her out of the box. I just went back out to collect her egg. In the box next to that one, I found two more eggs (which I hope means that nearly all of my 6 girls are laying now!). In her box, I found this:





So what to you think? Could the white rock have pecked the egg as revenge, since she didn't want anyone in her box? Or possibly it was an accident by the mama hen? Or do you think I have an egg eater on my hands? Is it even eaten? I couldn't tell, as I've never had any experience with an egg eater.

I have seen the white rock peck an egg before, but I think she was going for my hand and got the egg instead.

What should I do? I'm about to go spend 3 days with my sister to help out with her newborn while her husband works. Its 40 minutes away so I CAN come back if I need to, but I really don't want to with gas being so high.

 

[chkinut]

it looks to me from the picture that it just broke. try putting more straw in the next box so there's something to cushion the egg. i would do it soon too, cuz once they discover that there is actually something yummy in there, then you've got a problem. egg eating is hard to stop once it starts. that's what it looks like to me in the pic.....but is that yolk that i see? or just a remnant of a yolk? did you see a bunch of the egg there? or was it just the color of the yolk that had stained the surface of where she laid? if the latter is the case, than the egg could've broken and THEN she couldve eaten it.

 

[MandiRock]

It seemed as if the yolk had been broken and moved around, but most of it was definitely there. Possibly it had been spread all out by one of the girls. Thank you for your help! I hope it just broke accidentally and it doesn't happen again. I fill the nesting boxes each day but they throw almost all of it out. In that pic I'd just filled it 3 hours before. I have 2 inch border across the front and the back too. I'm thinking about putting some carpet or rubber or something down.

 

[The Old Whittler]

It seemed as if the yolk had been broken and moved around, but most of it was definitely there. Possibly it had been spread all out by one of the girls. Thank you for your help! I hope it just broke accidentally and it doesn't happen again. I fill the nesting boxes each day but they throw almost all of it out. In that pic I'd just filled it 3 hours before. I have 2 inch border across the front and the back too. I'm thinking about putting some carpet or rubber or something down.

I had the same problem with my girls pulling the straw out of their nest. I tried wood shavings and they kicked that out also. I had an old piece of carpet with about a 3/8" nap and cut it to the size of the nest box floors and that's all I use now. The girls seem to like it OK and it is thick enough to cushion the eggs.

 

[Jake1297]

If you had an egg eater you would be able to tell for sure if you caught her/him. They tend to eat it all, shell included. At least that's what mine were doing. I just happen to be in the coop when I heard an egg drop out of the nest and it broke open. Right off there was a half dozen chickens getting a treat, shell and all.