Egg eating?

[Silkies rule Forever]

Ok thanks

 

[chickens really]

Egg eating is a bad habit..Could be feed related. I feed Grower and oyster shell in a separate bowl..Nest too brightly lit...

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

Cuckachucka makes a great point and the egg eating must stop. All hens will follow this act from observation and they may eat your other colored eggs.

 

[chuckachucka]

Or smother the shell of the egg in something they hate, i used crushed hot peppers

Maybe it was the flavour they didn't like. Chillies have a sour pepper flavour as well as spicy heat.

 

[CCUK]

I had this problem. It was my setup that was the problem. I had open plan nest boxes. I made proper nest boxes 15"x13". I can also put curtains in front of the boxes to make it darker. Apparently mustard doesn't work as hens can't taste it. I tried it and they just ate it!! You must also try to remove eggs as soon as possible. It's a real pain to stop. Make sure they are getting a good quality layers feed with oyster she'll and grit in a separate container or tray near there feed. Also don't give to many treats as this can also cause egg eating as they don't get all the protein minerals vitamins etc. that they will get in a good layers feed.

 

[CCUK]

I had this problem. It was my setup that was the problem. I had open plan nest boxes. I made proper nest boxes 15"x13". I can also put curtains in front of the boxes to make it darker. Apparently mustard doesn't work as hens can't taste it. I tried it and they just ate it!! You must also try to remove eggs as soon as possible. It's a real pain to stop. Make sure they are getting a good quality layers feed with oyster she'll and grit in a separate container or tray near there feed. Also don't give to many treats as this can also cause egg eating as they don't get all the protein minerals vitamins etc. that they will get in a good layers feed.

I also separated the offenders for a couple of days. It seemed to break the cycle and gave me a chance to redesign to nest boxes.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Are you finding any portion of the shell? If so, what is the thickness, consistency, etc? Just the one bird's egg being eaten may be due to it breaking easily (ie accidentally) at which point it is only reasonable that it would be consumed. Is the egg being eaten in the next box (finding shell bits or evidence of yolk in nest materiel)?

 

[Larry55]

We have 5 chickens. One lays olive green colored eggs. Everyday one of the chickens eats this egg. Same colored egg everyday. Other colors are untouched. All eat same feed Purina layena pellets or crumbles. High in oyster shell. Any thoughts?

Feed more protein.

 

[chickens really]

Chickens don't like Cayenne pepper...They can tast peppers..I mix cayenne and Vaseline to prevent pecking..

 

[Kiki]

Avian species, in fact, do have the receptor for capsaicin just like mammals. It’s called TRPV1, which is responsible for detecting some other pain sensory input, too. Whether the receptor is activated in a species determines if that species will taste the “hot” in peppers. Some birds, like the seagull, have an activated receptor, but others, like the chicken, do not.


eta:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17761445
one more study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5326624/