Egg-eaters

[epitidios]

The last few days I noticed that I was getting less eggs than usual. Today I also saw that in the nest that my hen is sitting to have her chicks one egg is missing. Obviously someone ate it. In case I got egg eaters how can I spot them, and how I can solve the problem? I check for traces of shell or yolk but there was nothing. I didn't find evidence that she ate too.

I also saw that they are eating feathers. I give them proteins with their food. Do they miss something else and this is the reason that they eat eggs?

 

[Lisa202]

For the egg eating, people suggest that you collect eggs frequently so they don't have as much time to eat them. I've also read that you can put cloth in front of the nest box with slits cut in them, so that it's dark in there and they can't see them as good. I'd also put fake eggs or golf balls in to fool them into thinking eggs are just hard things. I've also read that you can make roll away nest boxes, so that they roll out as they are laid. But if you do have an egg eater, you want to stop it asap so the others don't copy her. Sometimes you would have to cull the egg eater.

I had the same thing happen to me where an egg that was under a broody disappeared. I never found any evidence that it was eaten. I never had anymore eaten, my coop is like fort knox even to a snake, so this is still a mystery to me. I did put golf balls in there immediately, so who knows, maybe that stopped it before it became a bad habit.

Feather pecking is a different story...I had the same problem...completely bare butts on 2 chickens. I read that it could be a protein deficiency (mean protein, not plant) I read it could be boredom or over crowding. In my case it was just a mean chicken. I tried everything...more protein (I gave canned mackerel, eggs, meat etc), boredom and overcrowding were not issues. I tried isolating her for weeks as to move her down the pecking order and that didn't work either. She was just a bully and I wasn't willing to put up with that. So I re-homed her. You could try pinless peepers though.
read this...https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=480929

 

[Komaki]

I don't know where you are but if you are in snake country that would be my guess.

 

[carrlr]

Quote:
This would be my first thought too.

 

[epitidios]

We got snakes here (Greece), though i haven't seen any this year so far, since it is not that warm yet. Also i found some pine saving a bit hard, like they are yolk stained. So this could mean that the egg eater is within the flock. I will keep an eye on them.