Egg Eating

[Alagirl]

So, turns out my RIR eats eggs.
I watched as one of the Barred Rocks layed her egg and swift as a greased lightning my little red bird shot into the nest and cracked it before I could step in.
A little while later I came in and watched as one of my Ameraucanas did her thing. I felt bad swiping it right away. There I saw the eggshell of the egg of the other one.
The RIR is the boldest one of the lot, followed by the Barred Rocks. The Ameraucana who's egg got eaten is the bottom in the ranks.

I am not quite sure where my Barred Rocks stand precisely though
But I wondered, is that a rank/dominance thing, killing the eggs?
Or just a bad habit?
I have been feeding them a 22% protein layerfeed, birdseed (1/2 cup) in the morning, a small handful of dried bugs in the evening.

Seeing we are heading into fall, is there are chance they overcome this til the laying picks back up in spring?
Or am I just keeping them now for the poop?

 

[Alagirl]

I wish I knew. I saw this a few times. Just cracked it? Didn't eat it?

she and one of the barred jumped on the remains after I tossed the shell out.
Like little vultures.
Oh well, I need the poop and the bug control.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Have you tried rollaway nests?

 

[Sally PB]

Here are suggestions I've read on BYC. I haven't had to use any of them, thank goodness.

Get a fake egg, fill it with mustard. Supposedly, chickens don't like the taste, and will learn that eggs don't taste good any more.

Use roll-away nest boxes.

Remove the egg eater from the flock. Rehome or cull. Other chickens may pick up the behavior from the one who's doing it, so nip this problem in the bud.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Egg eating becomes a habit and one thats you cant break and she will teach the others to do the same thing

 

[NatJ]

Get a fake egg, fill it with mustard. Supposedly, chickens don't like the taste, and will learn that eggs don't taste good any more.

Apparently some chickens do like the taste of mustard. Sources:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/egg-eating-chicken-ate-two-mustard-filled-eggs-help.932373/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chickens-like-mustard-filled-eggs.1494843/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/why-did-my-chickens-like-the-mustard.1291952/
I think the titles say enough

Putting a fake egg (no mustard) in the nest may help. That lets the egg-eater peck the egg, stub her beak, and not get anything tasty-- over and over and over, if she wants. If there are already fake eggs in nests, then obviously that didn't work with this hen.

Since this particular hen has already learned to watch as the egg is laid, and then eat it immediately, she may be smart enough to learn the difference between real eggs and fake eggs. In that case, roll-away nests or removing her from the flock are probably the only things with a chance of working. Neither one actually trains the hen, just makes it impossible for her to get the eggs to eat them.

 

[Sally PB]

Apparently some chickens do like the taste of mustard

Thanks, I must have missed those.

Sadly, it sounds like this girl knows what she's doing.

 

[Alagirl]

yeah, I might have to make a difficult decision here.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Take out all the insides of an egg - put a small whole in the top - put something like mustard, garlic, onion peices - really anything nasty chickens can eat. Make it have a strong taste. It works for my chicken, Splash Orpington, Koala.

 

[Alagirl]

She is now separated. we shall see