egg eating, stopped laying in nesting boxes

[jadie]

I have 6 hens and 2 nesting boxes. they are 1 yr old
I noticed during the winter that once in a while an egg was broken and eaten, whatever I just wanted to get thru the winter.
during spring it stopped. recently it started again, there was a point when at least one egg was eaten a day. I know a little about egg eating (cant be fixed, taught to other hens).
I have an idea about which of the chickens may be the main culprit.
not too long after that (around easter) I noticed one and now 2 of my hens are not laying in the nesting boxes (one of which is a egg eating suspect), now they lay in the farthest corner from the boxes. they haven't eaten as many eggs lately.

I was wondering if you guys could help me with this egg eating problem? not only do they fight each for it which makes me upset but I sell them and need the money for feed. I heard about painting the coop yellow, boxes black, curtons on the boxes, etc. please give me any tips or explainations!!

also why are the girls no longer laying in the boxes? is it because they don't want their eggs eatan??


thanks so much!!!! this is my first batch of chickens! I love them!!

ps how long do chickens lay for and live for?

 

[Mountain Peeps]

My best ideas for stopping egg eating is to collect the eggs as often as possible, put fake eggs where the hens are laying, (if they peck those, they won't break) be sure to provide boredom busters for your flock, (sometimes hens eat eggs because they are bored.) always provide calcium and don’t allow the hens to go hungry. If they start laying again in the nests, then you can hang curtains outside the nests to make them dark. (The hens won't eat eggs if they can't even see them!)

About them using the nests, my ideas are; confine the hens to the coop until they learn where the nests are, put lots of comfy bedding in the nests, put fake eggs in the nests to show hens that's where the eggs go, check and make sure there aren't any parasites, nails, screws or anything that can irritate sitting hens and provide enough nests. I noticed that you said you had two nests for six hens. You may want to add another one or two to insure that they can all lay comfortably and not have to lay in the same box with another hen.

Hens are most productive in their first three years of life and the average chicken lives for about 6-12 years.

Below is a link about egg eating.

Hope this helps!!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/six-tips-on-breaking-your-egg-eater

 

[jadie]

i put a golf ball in there and im not sure whether that was what helped or the fact that they are outside a lot now, but either I got a lot more eggs than usual this weekend. the 2 hens are still laying in the corner. I think im going to put some fake eggs in there or fill one of their eggs with mustard if it doesn't stop soon.
thanks so much!! hopefully they start laying in the boxes soon
thanks again!!!


I cant use the roll out nesting boxes because my dog looooves raw eggs!! haha eww

 

[gander007]

I know people say chickens do not know the difference between a golf-ball and an egg but bull and it sounds like it is time to clean out the nesting box's and get some fake egg's the hard ones but they are about $ 2 dollars each as I just purchased some more last week from e-bay and I know it works but the chickens really sound like they need something changed in the diet and no I am not picking on you by writing this as I have gone through it several times myself .....

Get fake hard egg's ...

What are you feeding your chickens ???????

Try this once a week take you suspects aside and feed them a hard boiled egg as they just might need some niacin or vitamin B-3 or the protein from the egg.....










one of my nesting boxes and the hens stoped using it so I changed
the sand and straw in the boxes and back to laying in the nesting boxes ..








gander007

 

[jadie]

thanks, right now they are eating the omega 3 pellets by purina, however I do switch it up between the omega 3 pellets and plain layer pellets and some grit and ostyer shells on the side. right now they are outside eating a lot of grass and bugs and stuff.

fyi I put an egg filled with some watered down mustard in the nesting box and they still ate it all!!!

im going nuts.

I will try and feed them the hard boiled egg thanks

 

[gander007]

thanks, right now they are eating the omega 3 pellets by purina, however I do switch it up between the omega 3 pellets and plain layer pellets and some grit and ostyer shells on the side. right now they are outside eating a lot of grass and bugs and stuff.

fyi I put an egg filled with some watered down mustard in the nesting box and they still ate it all!!!

im going nuts.

I will try and feed them the hard boiled egg thanks

Sounds like you are feeding them good ......

 

[chad-o]

I think the mustard filled egg is an old wife's tail. They readily eat hot pepper why would they not eat mustard.