Egg suckin Dog and chicken eating eggs

[Bugdude]

Ok so for some time now Its been know that our mini pin has been stealing eggs. He normally gets them on the weekends when we let them free range from the early hours of the morning. Othwerwise during the week the chickens are let out at lunch and have laid by then so I get them.

Just yesterday though we caught the dog with an egg on the ground and this time the chickens were eating out of the egg too. Now im freaked thinking my chickens will become egg eaters. Im not sure how much they ate. There was about half left of one egg cracked in half. Im sure the dog got most of it..

What do you think the chances are now that my chickens will eat their eggs? I already have the golfball in there from before they were laying. Some posts suggested that the fake hard egg will teach them to not peck their eggs..

Im soo worried.. Im going to have to speed home to find my results..



Any ideas for the dog? Hes basically chicken size so theres no way I can make something that the chickens can fit in and he cannot.. My only thought is one of those invisible fences with the electric collar.

 

[dospuercos]

I'm not sure what to do about the dog. And electric collar would work I'm sure. But I don't think he'll teach the chickens to eat their eggs. I keep golf-balls in my laying boxes because if I don't I have a Buff Orpington who will eat her eggs. But I have given my chickens eggs before when I have found one that had a small crack in it for some reason or other. This hasn't made any of them become egg eaters. I also have found eggs under their roosts at night that don't have a hard shell on them. I'm not sure what causes this. When I find them, I take them & throw them outside the coop because they attract flies. The chickens will eat them & this hasn't caused any of them to start eating their eggs either. I think the only problem you have is what to do with your egg-eating dog.

 

[ginasmarans]

The only thing I know is to keep the dog away from the chickens. You'll either have to keep them or him penned. I occasionally throw old eggs or eggs I "find" in a nest to my chickens. So,far,no one has started eating eggs. I did have a hen I got from my dad who ate eggs from the get go and I had to end up putting her in a pot.

 

[Wynette]

Some folks will blow out a few eggs, and squirt in nasty tasting mustard (like horseradish mustard) into the hollowed out egg. I BET you could set up your dog that way! Leave them out where he normally would get to them, and then let him go for it! It may take a few blown eggs, but I BET after a few, he'd realize they taste nasty and would quit. With dogs, especially smart ones, I've foudn that the very best teacher is for them to think they did it to themselves, rather than for YOU to correct him. JMO!