EGG EATING ENTIRE FLOCK!!!!

[lexi234]

Excited to come back so soon to say i successfully collected 7 eggs today! I found 4 without “stealing” them, they were LEFT untouched. first time in months! I don’t know which part to thank- but I think the mustard filled fake eggs definitely helped them stop.
thank you all for your great suggestions! I plan to keep up for a week and see, i’ll take counts every day. today we did lose 3 eggs in the morning, before mustard began.
I will be implementing curtains next week probably anyhow because i like the idea of reducing the light for them.

 

[GCrumb]

This having chickens agaain after fifteen years or so started a couple of years ago with a neighbor giving us two hens who always had egg on their faces. Somebody suggested ceramic eggs to me. I put them out and watched the hens look all shocked that they didn't break. One quit after a few tries and the other completely pulverized four ceramic eggs over a few days. One's the head hen now, the other was a stew. I wonder how long it would have gone on if I had used stronger fake eggs.

I have some wooden eggs now, but no egg eating chickens.

 

[lexi234]

over the last few days, i find they are still consuming about 3 eggs every day. I can try to manage this better now, and it only happens first thing in the AM. going to try blackout curtains next.

 

[TwoCrows]

over the last few days, i find they are still consuming about 3 eggs every day. I can try to manage this better now, and it only happens first thing in the AM. going to try blackout curtains next.

Once they start, they do it out of habit. The curtains will help to break this habit and hopefully they forget. Good luck!

 

[lexi234]

got 8 eggs today! seems to be hit or miss some days, but they do consistently eat the green/blue ones.

 

[RojoMarz]

got 8 eggs today! seems to be hit or miss some days, but they do consistently eat the green/blue ones.

It may be that those hens are laying eggs with thinner shells and when they drop, the egg breaks. I've seen that before and those thinner shelled eggs are the ones being eaten. Do you have free choice calcium out?

 

[lexi234]

It may be that those hens are laying eggs with thinner shells and when they drop, the egg breaks. I've seen that before and those thinner shelled eggs are the ones being eaten. Do you have free choice calcium out?

yes, we do.. i did also change their feed so waiting a little longer for that to take effect.

 

[lexi234]

steadily getting about 5 eggs per day which i will take for now. they still manage to eat 3-5 per day. curtains coming soon still, and more free choice oyster shell.

 

[TwoCrows]

steadily getting about 5 eggs per day which i will take for now. they still manage to eat 3-5 per day. curtains coming soon still, and more free choice oyster shell.

Thanks for the update, keep us posted!

 

[lexi234]

Thanks for the update, keep us posted!

sorry this is slightly unrelated, but my silkies are hatching right now! i had to show.