Egg eating chickens

[Chicken Boy 101]

Chicken Boy, I'm sorry, but corn is not a good diet for them at all. That's a big part of why you're having trouble. They are going for the eggs, because they need the nutrition from them. It's not right to assume, but I'm going to take the plunge here, and assume you're either feeding them corn because you're new at caring for chickens, or it's because of cost. They need to be on a layer feed. That's your most cost effective alternative, and more nutritionally complete for them. 50 pound bags of Purina egg layer feed, and MannaPro egg maker are both good choices. They don't waste as much with the pellets, as with crumbles, so it's a better choice when on a tight budget.

Whenever the eggs begin piling up, and you have a few too many, open the eggs, put them in a caserole dish, or baking pan, take the shells, and put them in a plastic bag, and crush them, then add the shells in with the eggs. Mix them good, and bake on 350 until they're done. After they cool down, crumble it, and feed it to the chickens as a treat. This is good for them.

If I change their diet will they quit egg eating or will I have to get them to stop any way.

 

[chuckachucka]

I saw this thread title 'Egg eating chickens' and I thought WOW that it one hungry egg.


sorry. Couldn't resist.

 

[aart]

If I change their diet will they quit egg eating or will I have to get them to stop any way.

First find out what their diet consists of.
Then we can see if you need to change it.
Also need to see about space and crowding.

After those things are ameliorated/adjusted,
you might still need to gather eggs frequently,
and add some fake eggs, to help break them of the habit.

 

[rebrascora]

There is no guarantee they will stop if it has become a habit but if you are really just feeding them corn, you will have other health issues with them sooner or later as well as poor laying, because the corn will make them fat and cause reproductive and liver problems. They need more protein than corn provides them. A layer pellet or all flock pellet with oyster shell available on the side will help them lay more eggs and not need to eat the eggs for protein. If you are intending to hatch chicks the corn does not provide all the nutrients (vitamins etc.) in the eggs that the chicks need to develop, so you may start seeing poor hatch rates or deformed chicks. Nutrition is really important for hens because they have been selectively bred to be far more productive than nature intended..... they are almost like top level athletes in that their bodies are performing at a maximum level and if you expect them to do that on a diet of carbohydrates and junk food, which is essentially what corn is to chickens, then you will run into problems.

 

[Chicken Boy 101]

There is no guarantee they will stop if it has become a habit but if you are really just feeding them corn, you will have other health issues with them sooner or later as well as poor laying, because the corn will make them fat and cause reproductive and liver problems. They need more protein than corn provides them. A layer pellet or all flock pellet with oyster shell available on the side will help them lay more eggs and not need to eat the eggs for protein. If you are intending to hatch chicks the corn does not provide all the nutrients (vitamins etc.) in the eggs that the chicks need to develop, so you may start seeing poor hatch rates or deformed chicks. Nutrition is really important for hens because they have been selectively bred to be far more productive than nature intended..... they are almost like top level athletes in that their bodies are performing at a maximum level and if you expect them to do that on a diet of carbohydrates and junk food, which is essentially what corn is to chickens, then you will run into problems.

I'm gonna switch to this one feed I just found it has oyster shells added in it so I'll get it when I get to town I live in the country.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Yeah, you really shouldn't feed straight corn. It's a treat, and good for building up body mass in the fall before winter so your hens have a little extra insulation. Below are two charts from this google book: Egg Innovations and Strategies for improvements. Both charts are intended for white leghorns, so consider it a minimum for any other breed.

The nutrition values in the above table are percentages. {edt: except for the ones that say gram/day, obviously.} That's what you should be feeding your hens for best health and egg production. Compare it against the feed tag you get at the store.

And this is the nutrition value of corn and some other grains.

Hope this helps!

Good luck with stopping them from eating the eggs.

 

[rebrascora]

A layer pellet or crumble already has calcium added to it. This may be in the form of crushed oyster shell so that is probably what you have found. The problem with that is that it means all your chickens including the roosters will be getting that higher level of calcium in the feed which can cause health issues for them. Personally I have not had a problem with that but some people feel that it can cause kidney problems and gout in the roosters long term. An "All Flock" feed doesn't have the calcium added to it so if you use that feed, which is better for the male birds, you need to provide crushed oyster shell separately for the girls and they will eat it as they need it.
I think that the feed you are proposing to get whilst not perfect for your flock, will be a huge improvement on the corn diet they are currently getting and may go a long way to improving some of the problems you are experiencing.

 

[aart]

We don't know what the OP is feeding now...as they haven't told us specifically.
I hate to speculate a change if I don't know what they have now.
Still want to know about space.

 

[rebrascora]

@aart

Mostly corn.

I'm guessing you missed the above response to the question about what the OP is feeding....

 

[aart]

@aart

I'm guessing you missed the above response to the question about what the OP is feeding....

No, I saw that.... but still wonder what tag on bag says as some mills use mostly corn but admix can greatly change nutrient percentages...and if they don't understand how to read tags the next feed might not be any better.