Egg Eating- One of 9 chickens started eating the eggs

[SnowyChickenMomma]

We have 3 barred rocks, 3 red comets, and 3 leghorns. We average 6 eggs a day and some days we get as many as 8-11 but usually just 5 or 6.

Yesterday I go out to get the eggs like I do every morning (9-10ish) and I only saw 4, I go grab them and they are all slimey so my first instinct was oh no someone pooped on them and it was a runny one. Then I saw broken up egg shell and noticed the color on one of the white eggs was yellow like a yolk so I put 2 and 2 together.

No idea who is doing it but today I noticed something even stranger... the white chicken / leghorn was trying to make a nest in the roost and the red comet was pestering her.... once the red one left the leghorn ended up laying one egg. I quickly removed it but I wonder what's going on.

They have never laid eggs anywhere else and I just changed the bedding in the nest box after I discovered the yucky mess they left and they still layed 4 in it.

Anyone have any tips? How quickly will other chickens learn this behavior and we run out of eggs?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Could be someone broke an egg by accident than they ate it or it could be someone is intentionally breaking them. Feeding a higher protein ration can help keep deficiencies at bay, something with 18-22%, keeping a separate bowl of oysters, keeping fake non breakable eggs in the boxes to make curious pecking unsuccessful, making sure your nest are high enough off the ground so hens can't see in them from the ground, keep the boxes darkened or add curtains, and collect eggs often.

Hens deciding on a different spot isn't unusual, nor is another hen wanting to lay where she's laying.

 

[SnowyChickenMomma]

That's a good thought about it being an accident, I hope it was. I'm planning on keeping a close eye on them, the nesting boxes are in a decent spot with a privacy wall. I'll have to post a photo sometime.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have a more pessimistic view of it. I have egg eaters, they are my show birds that get bored in their cages. They learned to eat eggs watching other peoples misbehaving birds eat eggs. I fight with those birds year round now.

They either live in rollaway cages or pens with only egg eaters in it when I don't want the eggs for hatching.

I feed 24 % protein most of the year to the show birds, so protein is not the problem. I have thought about making a stanchion for them and locking their heads in it until the egg is laid each day..

The problem is my best looking birds become the egg eaters... BTW My birds were perfectly well behaved until the other peoples poorly behaved birds turned mine bad...

Egg eating is a learned behavior so find out who it is and get her out of their before they all do it.