Egg help?!?

[newchickenmom33]

The yolk got ate by one of them! The best thing to do is keep them from eating their own eggs! It will happen every now and then but once one starts doing it consistently, they all will and it’s a hard habit to break! I am that boat right now but I know which one does it. She’s ate 11 eggs in the last 2 weeks. I know what time they usually lay but I just can’t be there most of the time to get them out quick enough. If they are doing that, it means they need more protein(meal worms) which will help reduce them eating the eggs, so I’ve been told anyways. Still trying to fix it myself at the moment.

Yes, I figured it was laid without a shell or a soft one... I try to feed mealworms every couple of days but the can get pricey. They are on organic grower feed at 19.5% protein and I don’t offer many treats. I’ll watch it though.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Mine eat any soft shell or shell-less eggs, which happened a lot when they first started laying, but don't now. They have never attempted to eat a shelled egg.
The two that went a week between first and second egg were early layers, at 17 weeks, then 20 weeks. The later layers (24 and 30 weeks) seemed to have it figured out better. Although my last to start laying, a buff orp still has weird laying habits sometimes. She will lay early in the morning one day, then late evening the next, then skip a day, then middle of the day. She is not consistent at all.

 

[aart]

Yes, I figured it was laid without a shell or a soft one... I try to feed mealworms every couple of days but the can get pricey. They are on organic grower feed at 19.5% protein and I don’t offer many treats. I’ll watch it though.

...and the organic feed isn't pricey?
Are the mealworms organic too?

 

[newchickenmom33]

The organic grower feed is $0.60lb I buy it at a local farm that buys it by the ton... the mealworms aren’t organic they say all natural... I have found organic farmed mealworms but I don’t want to pay shipping for them

 

[newchickenmom33]

Five days and still no baby eggs.

 

[newchickenmom33]

It had been 8 days and still not another baby egg. we went out early this morning at 630am and found a BABY EGG with a soft shell! As soon as the light went on all the girls went after it. . So who knows how many have been laid like that... the first two had full shells... we generally don’t go out until late morning to check on them. Should we get out there early everyday and try to remove any soft shell eggs?

 

[cl4275]

It had been 8 days and still not another baby egg. we went out early this morning at 630am and found a BABY EGG with a soft shell! As soon as the light went on all the girls went after it. . So who knows how many have been laid like that... the first two had full shells... we generally don’t go out until late morning to check on them. Should we get out there early everyday and try to remove any soft shell eggs?

Yes you should! It isn’t always possible but it’s best to get them out ASAP. If you are having an eating problem like that definitely go early and get them out so they can’t eat them. If you do that for long enough hopefully they will forget to even peck them later on down the road.

Now, are they always laying shell less eggs? If so put oyster shell in a different feed free choice and they will eat what they want. I feed Purina Omega 3 with oyster shell free choice and they don’t touch them. Purina Omega 3 has oyster in it and they lay big strong eggs! Golden comets are my layers right now.

 

[newchickenmom33]

Yes you should! It isn’t always possible but it’s best to get them out ASAP. If you are having an eating problem like that definitely go early and get them out so they can’t eat them. If you do that for long enough hopefully they will forget to even peck them later on down the road.

Now, are they always laying shell less eggs? If so put oyster shell in a different feed free choice and they will eat what they want. I feed Purina Omega 3 with oyster shell free choice and they don’t touch them. Purina Omega 3 has oyster in it and they lay big strong eggs! Golden comets are my layers right now.

So I have fiver older pullets that have great eggs shells and then we added three more babies about 3 months later... those babies just started I think two Monday’s ago when I found two baby eggs (with all shells but one was fragile) in the same nesting box as the big eggs. Most of my girls lay after 11am and are done by 1pm. They all get grower feed since they were mixed ages but I’ll switch to layer now.... they have grit and oyster shell always available. I’ve never had any eggs with crack or damaged before now. I’ll try to check more regularly.

 

[aart]

They all get grower feed since they were mixed ages but I’ll switch to layer now.... they have grit and oyster shell always available.

The younger birds might not be eating the OS, is it in a separate container easily accessed?
I have sprinkled some out in the run and just a few pieces on top of feed to get them familiar with it....have also heard of sprinkling just a touch of scratch grains on top of OS in separate feeder.

The younger girls just starting to lay may be also be stressed, and pushed around by the older birds keeping them off nests, feed and OS container. Sometimes it's better to let things progress until they find their groove, more changes can also cause stress.

 

[newchickenmom33]

The younger birds might not be eating the OS, is it in a separate container easily accessed?
I have sprinkled some out in the run and just a few pieces on top of feed to get them familiar with it....have also heard of sprinkling just a touch of scratch grains on top of OS in separate feeder.

The younger girls just starting to lay may be also be stressed, and pushed around by the older birds keeping them off nests, feed and OS container. Sometimes it's better to let things progress until they find their groove, more changes can also cause stress.

Those are good ideas. The oyster shell is only offered in one place. I’ll try sprinkling it in the run and maybe I can pick up another hanging container... on the other side just in case... they always stay out later then the older girls and eat up before they go into the coop at night... I’ll add scratch onto of it too and see if they eat it. Hopefully we get this worked out soon.