Egg eating chickens! Help!

[mickschicks]

Our girls have just started breaking shells and eating the eggs (one or two here and there) The girls are not yet one year old and are mostly inside (we live in cold Minnesota) and we have plenty of windows for them to see out. Anyone ever have and solved this problem?
Thanks for any advice!

 

[Opa]

Once a hen starts eating eggs I don't think there is much that can be done to break the habit. The best solution is to remove the eggs as soon as they are laid by using a rollout nestbox.

 

[ziggywiggy]

When I was young we had a dog that ate eggs. My Dad poked a hole in each end of an egg, drained it, then filled full of amonia, then sealed it with glue and egg shell. Dog never ate another egg. Might work with chickens.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Mine will do this at the end of the winter. Generally I up the protein to well over 20% and increase the amount of calcium. Within a few days the problem goes away. When I say I increase the calcium, I mean that I add it right into the feed instead of offering it separately. That way I KNOW they are getting it. If the egg eating is not well established, this will generally cure it, but occasionally a hen will just develop a taste for eggs. There is no cure for that except the rollout nest or the stew pot.

HTH

Rusty

 

[StaatsFarms]

I had this same problem!!! So, I got an inexpensive security camera, placed it in the coop, and watched. Within 45 minutes I knew the culprit. She would kick the hen that just laid the egg out of the nest and destroy it within 1 minute of being laid. I went from getting 8-10 eggs a day to getting 4 in a week. I "took care" of the problem hen and I am now back to getting atleast 8-10 eggs a day.

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
This idea has merrit. I`ve also heard that mustard works.........Pop

 

[mickschicks]

Thanks everyone! Wonderful ideas! I now have hope it maybe stopped (or the camera and the stew pot) Will try all methods and pray one of these works! Will check in later on our chicky progress!

 

[tammyd57]

I've read that putting fake eggs--either wood or ceramic-- in the nest will encourage them to believe that eggs are not good to eat. I can't personally vouch for that idea as I've never in over 40 years had that problem.

 

[snowhorse]

I am having this issue too. Saw one of the girls running around with the shell in her mouth. But I have noticed that the shells seem kind of thin right now. They have access to grit and osyter shell, I keep old eggs and have mashed them up. Someone told me you can feed their eggs back to them but would this encourage this behavior more?

 

[chicmom]

Couple of ideas to share: Put ceramic eggs in the nests....also, make the area of the nesting boxes dim by hanging a curtain or something........if it's kinda dark in there, that seems to help.

Blowing out the egg, and adding hot mustard is also an idea I've heard too.