Egg Eating Chicken and I am out of ideas

[SunkenRoadFarms]

you could block her off from the coop! you could put her in a broody breaker and that might cure her!

dont just kill them for no reason! how would you like if a chicken killed you beacsue you ate chcikens?

It depends on your husbandry approach. My chickens are not pets, they're livestock. I raise them for food and income, just as I do my cattle and goats. Every animal has a purpose, when that purpose is no longer being met, they serve a purpose in death. And the best part is, I know exactly what they were fed and how they were raised their whole lives!

 

[Dustystrail]

I was able to rehome my egg eaters with an old woman who was missing farm life. She knew they were egg eaters as well as being pretty old but because they were extremely tame she was very excited to get them as pets that would sit in her lap.
They had started with just an occasional egg then it got to the point there were no eggs or evidence left and they had quickly taught all the other birds. We tried fake eggs and hot sauce in blown out eggs and they knew the difference. They already received quality feed and plenty of supplements as well as free ranged. We finally caught the 2 main culprits when the were at a show and we caught them in the act. After they were removed from the coop I noticed all the eggs had scratches all over them but apparently none of the others had enough practice to break through the shells except for the rooster occasionally. I got the fake eggs and hot sauce back out and have never had a problem since.
I do really like the roll out nest box idea and would probably try that if there is a next time.

 

[Pretty Chickens]

Hello All. I have a Delaware chicken to which I discovered is the culprit of constant egg eating. She waits outside the nesting box and eats the egg faster than I can stop it. I am not one to put down an animal, so I have tried all I have heard of...curtains on nesting boxes; checking often to take out eggs; fake eggs; golf balls; a clean coop; cod liver oil or mustard in egg shells; lots of treats for the girls; and a large run. I cannot use the nesting boxes that have the eggs roll out to a safe holding area due to how we constructed the coop.

I have been removing her from the coop every day leaving her outside to which is ok for now, but winter is coming. She has been out for two weeks, and I tried leaving her in yesterday but she immediately was back into her old routine of stalking the nesting boxes when another chicken was in them and got to an egg before me.

Is there anything else someone can think of for me to try?

I am so sorry, But the truth is that nothing is going to stop her. She can become dinner.

 

[earlyredrooster]

you could block her off from the coop! you could put her in a broody breaker and that might cure her!

dont just kill them for no reason! how would you like if a chicken killed you beacsue you ate chcikens?

I eat chicken a lot. I don't buy them prepackaged and tortured, I raise my own and they only have one bad day. Compared to the commercial torture houses where they live in chicken hell their WHOLE LIFE.

 

[christine9]

I also had a Dellie that was eating eggs. Golf balls worked for me. The trick is to put enough gold balls in there that the "eggs" she's trying to eat are more likely to be the fake ones than the real ones. My suggestion is to have as many golf balls as eggs you are getting each day. In my case, I had four layers so four golf balls in each box. Walmart sells used golf ball grab bags. Cheapest I could find around. Then check your boxes as often as possible.

 

[Shop Chickens]

Not clear what you mean by "Freezer Camp", please explain.

 

[SunkenRoadFarms]

Not clear what you mean by "Freezer Camp", please explain.

Culling and processing for meat.

 

[Dustystrail]

good!

That is one of the reasons I like all my animals to be as tame as possible. It helps to ensure a happy life for them. I will also not discourage any one from culling a bird. Done properly it is a quick and humane end as opposed to other possibilities. Everyone is trying to share their ideas and experiences with the OP to give them ideas to try and help them understand this is not always easy to deal with.

 

[Sean O]

I used golf balls and it worked for me.

 

[Chantelcer]

Take a few eggs, blow them out and then refill them with really hot hot sauce, it will should only take her a few times to lose her taste for eggs.