Egg eating

[FrostRanger]

I'd try a 20% feed. Naturewise makes a 21% layer feed if you prefer that or you can just feed an all flock with oyster shells on the side

 

[Yardmom]

Most cases of egg eating are because they are lacking something in their diet. Sometimes it is calcium. Add oyster shells and or egg shells. Often it is protein. Feed a higher percentage and see if it helps.
Keep in mind is is normal for chickens to eat cracked eggs.
I actually feed extra eggs back to my 50 chickens, but they only eat the eggs that are already cracked.

 

[Ridgerunner]

To me an egg eater is one that purposely opens an egg to eat it. Many chickens will eat an egg that is already opened. I don't consider that a problem as long as it was accidentally opened. I try to avoid that though, that is a way a chicken could learn to become an egg eater.

I have only had one egg eater. Some of the other hens would come help her eat the egg once she opened it but they never did learn to open an egg themselves. As soon as I identified which hen was opening eggs I ate her. The problem went away. And she did not teach others to open eggs.

One way to stop an egg eater is to use rollaway nests. These are designed for the egg to roll away where the hen cannot get to it to eat the egg. You can do a search on here for rollaway nests to see how to build one. If every hen does not use them then obviously they will not work 100%.

I've read different threads on here about ways people have tried to retrain an egg eater. Hard fake eggs like ceramic or wooden eggs or even golf balls are supposed to stop them. Either they hurt themselves when they peck something hard or they are not rewarded for trying to open an egg when they don't get anything to eat after pecking. I've read threads about blowing out an egg and filling it with something else. Some people I trust on here say they got relief with one of those methods. Others I trust say they did not see any benefits.

The only thing I've ever tried was to eat the hen I saw opening an egg. That worked. Good luck!

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

To me an egg eater is one that purposely opens an egg to eat it. Many chickens will eat an egg that is already opened. I don't consider that a problem as long as it was accidentally opened. I try to avoid that though, that is a way a chicken could learn to become an egg eater.

I have only had one egg eater. Some of the other hens would come help her eat the egg once she opened it but they never did learn to open an egg themselves. As soon as I identified which hen was opening eggs I ate her. The problem went away. And she did not teach others to open eggs.

One way to stop an egg eater is to use rollaway nests. These are designed for the egg to roll away where the hen cannot get to it to eat the egg. You can do a search on here for rollaway nests to see how to build one. If every hen does not use them then obviously they will not work 100%.

I've read different threads on here about ways people have tried to retrain an egg eater. Hard fake eggs like ceramic or wooden eggs or even golf balls are supposed to stop them. Either they hurt themselves when they peck something hard or they are not rewarded for trying to open an egg when they don't get anything to eat after pecking. I've read threads about blowing out an egg and filling it with something else. Some people I trust on here say they got relief with one of those methods. Others I trust say they did not see any benefits.

The only thing I've ever tried was to eat the hen I saw opening an egg. That worked. Good luck!

I am at a real loss. I have an egg eater. An honest to goodness egg eater. She is an ISA brown and was living with 9 other IBs and was the lowest girl on the totem pole. Started running around eating everyone's eggs.

I moved her into another coop that had half as many chickens and she seemed to do fine and stopped the behavior. One day, she was limping so I moved her into an even more sedate coop. I decided to leave her there since she settled in so fine.

Fast forward..... I decided to grow out chicks in that coop.... and the energy level went off the rails. She began eating eggs again. I was afraid she was going to encourage bad habits in the new chickens. She found herself accidentally back in the coop with the ISAs she started with... and it continued just as badly. She is now sequestered alone in a cage on thd porch until I decide what I can do with her.

I gave her golf balls. I filled an egg with mustard. She is absolutely MANIC to crack open her eggs and eat them. Is this anxiety? Psychosis? I cannot (WILL NOT)put her in any of the coops with layers. I have a coop of 'retired' girls that lay sporadically..and are set off from the main coops. That really is the only place she can go that will not cause big problems. I really like her... she is a sweet chicken. I could free range her, but she would be alone and we have a lot of aerial predators.

She is 2.5 years old and would also be tough eating.

I'm just flummoxed.

 

[nuthatched]

I am at a real loss. I have an egg eater. An honest to goodness egg eater. She is an ISA brown and was living with 9 other IBs and was the lowest girl on the totem pole. Started running around eating everyone's eggs.

I moved her into another coop that had half as many chickens and she seemed to do fine and stopped the behavior. One day, she was limping so I moved her into an even more sedate coop. I decided to leave her there since she settled in so fine.

Fast forward..... I decided to grow out chicks in that coop.... and the energy level went off the rails. She began eating eggs again. I was afraid she was going to encourage bad habits in the new chickens. She found herself accidentally back in the coop with the ISAs she started with... and it continued just as badly. She is now sequestered alone in a cage on thd porch until I decide what I can do with her.

I gave her golf balls. I filled an egg with mustard. She is absolutely MANIC to crack open her eggs and eat them. Is this anxiety? Psychosis? I cannot (WILL NOT)put her in any of the coops with layers. I have a coop of 'retired' girls that lay sporadically..and are set off from the main coops. That really is the only place she can go that will not cause big problems. I really like her... she is a sweet chicken. I could free range her, but she would be alone and we have a lot of aerial predators.

She is 2.5 years old and would also be tough eating.

I'm just flummoxed.

Fill with soap.

 

[Themellowyellows]

Fill with soap.

Soap could be toxic, I recommend mustard