egg eaters HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Charlie Chicken]

You can try all the crazy things that are suggested to combat egg eating, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I do know the one thing that works for me every time is to hang a curtain at the nest opening to darken the nest. I have never had a single egg eaten after using the curtain method.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=243159#p243159

 

[chickens~galore]

the hens still know how to get into the nest with the curtain?

 

[Charlie Chicken]

Yep, they sure do. They will poke their head in and check it out and will shortly head on in. Chickens prefer a private dark place to do their thing and a curtained nest gives them what they prefer. The beauty of of all is that while in the nest they can't see the eggs so the egg eating stops.

 

[chickens~galore]

really? i have never heard of that. i will try that if all else fails.

chickens~galore

 

[Wynette]

I'll be curious to hear if it works for you (the curtain). I've seen that mentioned before, and just can't imagine it works....I mean, they would still know there is an egg in there...but I must be wrong! Let's hope so!! Please do report back!

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

I apologize if someone already suggested this, I did not read the whole thread, but,,,,

We were suspicious of egg eating a couple weeks ago, so we upped the oyster shells (mixed in with feed, as will as free choice dispenser) and, I made some booby trapped eggs!

I blew out 4-5 eggs, and refilled them with Hot mustard watered down with killer jalepeno sauce. (I know that birds taste buds do not get affected by hot foods like ours do, but thier sinuses, and tummies DO) Then, for several days in a row, when I collected eggs, I would switch one, and leave a trap egg behind.

The first day, it was gone by nightfall. Next day also disapeared, third stuck around for more than 24 hours, and the 4th and 5th never got eaten!

I also have stone eggs in the nest boxes, instead of golf balls, and I moved them around daily too.

My egg count has gone up a bit, from 7-10 to 10-12 daily, but that also could be due to the increasing light of the season, and my young girls maturing, so its hard to tell for sure, but seeing those booby trapped eggs sit there untouched made me snicker.

If you buy or have on of those meat flavor injector needles, it is really easy to blow out and refill eggs. We do it for crafts and to save those funky eggs!

Good Luck!