Egg eating chickens

[lazy gardener]

Sounds like you have an issue with shell strength. Multi vits and extra calcium. If that doesn't fix it, I'd cull them.

 

[NanaKat]

Perhaps only one of your hens is breaking the eggs open and the other two are opportunistic feeders. Try to determine the egg breaker and work from there before you cull all three and start over.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

All 3 are eating them I caught all 3 at once

They are competing. They are now cannibals. I have my cannibal hens in a separate pen. They are not allowed in the big house that yields 40 eggs a day. They are in a separate house to protect my income.
Once they start, hard to stop.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Also. My hens usually are done laying by 1 or 2 O'Clock. Collect them early as possible. If you hear them clucking really loud, they are discharging. When it gets quite around 1 or 2, grab them suckers.

 

[aart]

All 3 are eating them I caught all 3 at once

@Hbarley When you are able to grab an egg before it is eaten.....are the shells thin?

 

[Wickedchicken6]

And I have a question for those experiencing this. Are they production layers? What breeds are involved?

 

[Magpie1]

And I have a question for those experiencing this. Are they production layers? What breeds are involved?

Mine are doing this too. I have Black Australorps, RHRs, Americaunas, and Speckled Suffolks, in one flock. Another flock has Gold Stars (production) and Black Stars (production). It's mostly the black feathered birds who are doing this, although the Americaunas will puncture the shells with their curved beaks. They don't usually eat them though. In the older flock it was a skunk breaking eggs that started them. The production flock is just starting to lay and producing some soft eggs. That's what started them. Yes, they have calcium, high protein food, grit, etc. They are getting mealworms, scratch and some veggies. I thought there was only one eating the eggs so removed it, but today I caught several more doing it. Also, I slowed down on the mealworms and the black stars started cannibalizing the gold stars! I've removed them and am thinking I'll just cull every bird that presents a problem if they can be caught in the act. Hopefully, there will still be enough birds left to continue selling eggs.