Egg eating mystery help

[Chubbicthe2nd]

We had to Coop up our four free ranging hens while we figure out what to do with our extra roosters (we have five at the moment and we'll probably have to butcher all but one or two of them).

All four hens are probably not purebred. Two of them are Light Sussex mixes and sexually mature. Two of them are Dark Cornish mixes, and one of them seems to be laying but the other one seems not to be with a comb that is not red yet.

We're getting about nine eggs a week from all four of them, but occasionally they'll be one with a little hole pecked in it, though the egg is still intact. This morning there was an egg with a little hole packed in it but the liquid had all dripped out or been eaten.

We're trying to figure out which chicken it is that is pecking the eggs and keep her away from the other ones, and cull her if we have to .


My husband thought it was the dark Cornish chicken that isn't actually mature yet and she will have less of a maternal instinct. In which case, if we separate it from the other chickens, will she eventually forget this egg eating thing when she has her own eggs to lay? Or should we just hurry up and eat her before she teaches the other ones egg eating? Any thoughts?

 

[Debbie292d]

There are ways to figure this out, and one involves a tube of lipstick, but I'll not go there.

There's also those who put fake wooden eggs in the nests, or take an egg or two of theirs, blow out the contents and fill them with mustard.

What I'd do is take the suspect and right away in the morning, move her to a pen with a nest box. When she lays her egg, leave her in there with food/water for the day and see if she eats it. Being in different conditions could possibly not work though but I'd try it.

The other thing folks do for egg eaters is put curtains over the nest boxes. I thought painting the inside of the nest boxes black would help too as then they for sure can't see a thing in there. They can't eat what they can't see.

 

[LoveChickens27]

There are ways to figure this out, and one involves a tube of lipstick, but I'll not go there.

There's also those who put fake wooden eggs in the nests, or take an egg or two of theirs, blow out the contents and fill them with mustard.

What I'd do is take the suspect and right away in the morning, move her to a pen with a nest box. When she lays her egg, leave her in there with food/water for the day and see if she eats it. Being in different conditions could possibly not work though but I'd try it.

The other thing folks do for egg eaters is put curtains over the nest boxes. I thought painting the inside of the nest boxes black would help too as then they for sure can't see a thing in there. They can't eat what they can't see.

I had that problem too, but I ordered some wooden eggs and that seemed to work. Another thing that works is to use golf balls, but when my hens lay a soft-shell egg, they normally eat it.

Debbie292d, had some great ideas, I would try them.

 

[LoveChickens27]

We had to Coop up our four free ranging hens while we figure out what to do with our extra roosters (we have five at the moment and we'll probably have to butcher all but one or two of them).

All four hens are probably not purebred. Two of them are Light Sussex mixes and sexually mature. Two of them are Dark Cornish mixes, and one of them seems to be laying but the other one seems not to be with a comb that is not red yet.

We're getting about nine eggs a week from all four of them, but occasionally they'll be one with a little hole pecked in it, though the egg is still intact. This morning there was an egg with a little hole packed in it but the liquid had all dripped out or been eaten.

We're trying to figure out which chicken it is that is pecking the eggs and keep her away from the other ones, and cull her if we have to .


My husband thought it was the dark Cornish chicken that isn't actually mature yet and she will have less of a maternal instinct. In which case, if we separate it from the other chickens, will she eventually forget this egg eating thing when she has her own eggs to lay? Or should we just hurry up and eat her before she teaches the other ones egg eating? Any thoughts?

 

[LoveChickens27]

We had to Coop up our four free ranging hens while we figure out what to do with our extra roosters (we have five at the moment and we'll probably have to butcher all but one or two of them).

All four hens are probably not purebred. Two of them are Light Sussex mixes and sexually mature. Two of them are Dark Cornish mixes, and one of them seems to be laying but the other one seems not to be with a comb that is not red yet.

We're getting about nine eggs a week from all four of them, but occasionally they'll be one with a little hole pecked in it, though the egg is still intact. This morning there was an egg with a little hole packed in it but the liquid had all dripped out or been eaten.

We're trying to figure out which chicken it is that is pecking the eggs and keep her away from the other ones, and cull her if we have to .


My husband thought it was the dark Cornish chicken that isn't actually mature yet and she will have less of a maternal instinct. In which case, if we separate it from the other chickens, will she eventually forget this egg eating thing when she has her own eggs to lay? Or should we just hurry up and eat her before she teaches the other ones egg eating? Any thoughts?

Have you thought of re-homing the roosters?

 

[Chubbicthe2nd]

Have you thought of re-homing the roosters?

Yes. But my chicken friends are all roostered out. One of my friends isn't allowed to have roosters because of local laws in her area, and the other two already have their own rooster and don't want another one.

The two aggressive Rhode Island Reds I think I really won't mind eating at some point. It's the Old English game rooster and especially the little Old English game x Sussex mutt rooster (we named him sigma) that I'm hoping to rehome...

Sigma is my second favorite. My husband's favorite is Sigma. But he let me pick the rooster that will be the one we keep, which is a Blue Australorp. He's such a sweet protective rooster that was the alpha for the longest time (as others matured later) but he would still eat last and make sure all the other ones had gotten enough of the tasty table scraps first....

Alpha Blue Australorp was also the first to Crow and when they were all little cockerels he was the one that would keep them all safe. At night when they all would roost on the shed roof, they would crawl up around him and he would be the one guarding them, feathers all fluffed out like a mother hen, watchful and alert during night.

 

[Chubbicthe2nd]

There are ways to figure this out, and one involves a tube of lipstick, but I'll not go there.

There's also those who put fake wooden eggs in the nests, or take an egg or two of theirs, blow out the contents and fill them with mustard.

What I'd do is take the suspect and right away in the morning, move her to a pen with a nest box. When she lays her egg, leave her in there with food/water for the day and see if she eats it. Being in different conditions could possibly not work though but I'd try it.

The other thing folks do for egg eaters is put curtains over the nest boxes. I thought painting the inside of the nest boxes black would help too as then they for sure can't see a thing in there. They can't eat what they can't see.

Thank you! I'll try this

 

[LoveChickens27]

Yes. But my chicken friends are all roostered out. One of my friends isn't allowed to have roosters because of local laws in her area, and the other two already have their own rooster and don't want another one.

The two aggressive Rhode Island Reds I think I really won't mind eating at some point. It's the Old English game rooster and especially the little Old English game x Sussex mutt rooster (we named him sigma) that I'm hoping to rehome...

Sigma is my second favorite. My husband's favorite is Sigma. But he let me pick the rooster that will be the one we keep, which is a Blue Australorp. He's such a sweet protective rooster that was the alpha for the longest time (as others matured later) but he would still eat last and make sure all the other ones had gotten enough of the tasty table scraps first....

Alpha Blue Australorp was also the first to Crow and when they were all little cockerels he was the one that would keep them all safe. At night when they all would roost on the shed roof, they would crawl up around him and he would be the one guarding them, feathers all fluffed out like a mother hen, watchful and alert during night.

Yes, I understand.
On BYC there is a rehoming platform you could try.....

 

[Debbie292d]

Yes, I understand.
On BYC there is a rehoming platform you could try.....

Here's the link to it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/animals-in-need-of-free-re-homing.16182/

I've also posted roosters on Facebook in poultry groups for my state, but you can't really come right out and say, "Free Rooster," there. You have to be a little creative as you'll see how they do it there...some say, "My beautiful rooster needs a new home, or a new ZIP code, etc."

 

[LoveChickens27]

Here's the link to it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/animals-in-need-of-free-re-homing.16182/

I've also posted roosters on Facebook in poultry groups for my state, but you can't really come right out and say, "Free Rooster," there. You have to be a little creative as you'll see how they do it there...some say, "My beautiful rooster needs a new home, or a new ZIP code, etc."

Thank you Debbie292d. Did not think of leaving the link.....