Egg eating chickens

[Hbarley]

Is there anything I can do to have my chickens quit eating their eggs. They have egg layer, scratch feed and oyster shell. I have tried even letting them free range and they still eat their eggs. I filled eggs with mustard bc I heard they didn't like that. I put golf balls in the box. Anything I can do to get them to stop??

 

[GuppyTJ]

I don't know how you stop this behavior once it's started. I know it's very difficult to get them to stop and that the best course of action is to make sure it never starts.

My only idea if you can do it is to remove the eggs very frequently and as soon as they lay them as possible. Put lots of golf balls in their nest boxes. That way, they will hopefully not find an egg that they can eat and instead, figure out that the golf balls are not edible.

Chickens are stubborn. Once they start a behavior, it takes repetition of something different and time to get them to change.

Hope this helps,
Guppy

 

[lazy gardener]

Increase their protein, particularly give them animal protein. Put them on a multi vit. Simply supplying oyster shell is not enough, b/c if other vitamins are not sufficient, calcium uptake can be affected.

 

[Hbarley]

Increase their protein, particularly give them animal protein. Put them on a multi vit. Simply supplying oyster shell is not enough, b/c if other vitamins are not sufficient, calcium uptake can be affected.

 

[Hbarley]

Where do I get multi vitamin for chickens?

 

[Hbarley]

I don't know how you stop this behavior once it's started. I know it's very difficult to get them to stop and that the best course of action is to make sure it never starts.

My only idea if you can do it is to remove the eggs very frequently and as soon as they lay them as possible. Put lots of golf balls in their nest boxes. That way, they will hopefully not find an egg that they can eat and instead, figure out that the golf balls are not edible.

Chickens are stubborn. Once they start a behavior, it takes repetition of something different and time to get them to change.

Hope this helps,
Guppy

 

[Hbarley]

I kinda figured I wouldn't be able to break the habit but I was hoping someone had a secret remedy lol

 

[Sweet Peachick]

I had a chicken that started doing that so I ate her. Sorry sounds mean but it solved the problem and she did not go to waste. I have baby chicks all the time so I don't want anything to happen to them.

 

[aart]

Is there anything I can do to have my chickens quit eating their eggs. They have egg layer, scratch feed and oyster shell. I have tried even letting them free range and they still eat their eggs. I filled eggs with mustard bc I heard they didn't like that. I put golf balls in the box. Anything I can do to get them to stop??

Are you giving the scratch feed all the time, mixing it into the layer, or just bit tossed on the ground once in a while???
Is the oyster shell in a separate container or where/how.....?

Increase their protein, particularly give them animal protein.

Ditto Dat^^^


My Feeding Notes: I like to feed a flock raiser/starter/grower/finisher type feed with 20% protein crumble full time to all ages and genders, as non-layers(chicks, males and molting birds) do not need the extra calcium that is in layer feed and chicks and molters can use the extra protein. Makes life much simpler to store and distribute one type of chow that everyone can eat. I do grind up the crumbles (in the blender) for the chicks for the first week or so.

The higher protein crumble also offsets the 8% protein scratch grains and other kitchen/garden scraps I like to offer. I adjust the amounts of other feeds to get the protein levels desired with varying situations.

Calcium should be available at all times for the layers, I use oyster shell mixed with rinsed, dried, crushed chicken egg shells in a separate container.

Animal protein (a freshly trapped mouse, mealworms, a little cheese - beware the salt content, meat scraps) is provided once in while and during molting and/or if I see any feather eating.

 

[Circle W Farms]

You can get vitamins at Tractor Supply, Southern States and just about any feed store.