Feeding egg shells resulted in chickens eating eggs

[NatJ]

Also I don’t know what you meant by saying the Marans laid 3 times? Is this video a 3 day long video?

That puzzled me at first, too.

Another copper Maran hen went back after laying 3 different times.

I think it means that after laying one egg that day, the hen went back to the nest 3 times in that same day.

 

[cmom]

If you decide to use the fake eggs, I know they can get pricey. We had a bunch of rocks from Home Depot left over from when painting and hiding rocks was a big thing in our area. We used some in our nest boxes when our flock first started laying. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rain-Fo...Rock-Caribbean-Beach-Pebbles-RFERL1/202576848

Golf balls work good too.

 

[cmom]

We are feeding nutrena 18% pellets, snacks are fresh vegs, handful of scratch to get them in. With dried meal worms one time per day. Oyster shell around all the feeders. Free range 4 hrs per day. We mix in 1/4 bag wild game pellets with the feed.

Most game bird feed is around 20% protein. Your 18% feed is good. most layer feed is around 16%. As I mentioned previously try putting the oyster shells in their feeders. I have done it many different ways and some people have issues with putting it in the feeders but it works well for me and when I notice hardly any in the feeder pans I add more to the feed. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

So I am basing the cull list on this: once the chicken laid an egg it would not need to go back into the nest for the day. So the chickens that went back to the nest multiple times were looking for eggs to eat. Yes someone was eating the eggs because when I use the camera I can hear when eggs are laid because of the song. So if I go out and get those right away I get 10 a day. If I gather once I get 6 a day.

I have had birds go in and out of the nest boxes a few times a day and not lay an egg. I put a camera in one of my coops to to see if I could figure out who was the egg eater. One day I went out and was checking the nest boxes and caught the culprit in action. I took her out and at the next swap I sold her. She was probably going to be someones dinner. I have had no issues since.

 

[cmom]

I have actually had a couple of egg eaters over the years and sold them both. I told each buyer that they were prone to eat eggs. One I think was going to the dinner table as she was a nice big fat hen, so was the other but I really don't know what the plans were for her.

 

[MissE]

I feed egg shells back to mine with no problems. I will even throw a badly cracked one into the run for them to eat. Mine won't peck at them to break them, but if one is already broken, it's fair game.

Generally, broken eggs come from freezing, getting kicked out of a nest box, or everyone deciding they need to use the same box that day. They have crushed them fighting over the box. Three large hens don't fit in a milk crate very well. There are plenty of boxes, but they like to all use the same one or two boxes each day. Which boxes they are vary from day to day, but as soon as someone picks one, they all want it. Gathering eggs several times a day helps, and also makes for cleaner eggs.

Hopefully some of the tricks you are trying will help. Lost eggs are frustrating, no matter the cause.

 

[cmom]

I just chopped up some collards and mixed them with the egg shells from the eggs for a potato salad and I gave it to my youngsters who recently started laying. They gobbled them up.

 

[Brown Chick]

You can always try a roll out nesting box. They protect the eggs once they are laid. It won't help for the eggs laid on the ground, but your new layers should get the hang of the boxes soon. Some financially different examples...
https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...0rrtuIXvAhVAMVkFHXkOCqEQ9aACegUIDBCqAQ&adurl=

https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...iN0rrtuIXvAhVAMVkFHXkOCqEQ9aACegQIDBB9&adurl=

I have the Hengear one. It is pricey but pretty awesome.

I have ordered one of the hen gear boxes. I got it up Friday. Three chickens are using it already. I will order another and try to get the girls on board. How many hens use the small box at the same time? I have seen two in there at once so far.

 

[Tre3hugger]

I have ordered one of the hen gear boxes. I got it up Friday. Three chickens are using it already. I will order another and try to get the girls on board. How many hens use the small box at the same time? I have seen two in there at once so far.

It's hard to say as I don't have a camera in the coop. I will say this though; I now have a large (4ft) and small one (2ft) and 80% of my eggs are still laid in the small one. I have around 25 birds laying. Glad you went with one. I never find eggs on the floor and my eggs have been super clean. How many birds you have again? I think the small one should probably be good for 10 birds. It's rated for 20 I think, but I never trust what the company states. so cut it in half for good measure. Why do you feel you need another?

 

[Brown Chick]

It's hard to say as I don't have a camera in the coop. I will say this though; I now have a large (4ft) and small one (2ft) and 80% of my eggs are still laid in the small one. I have around 25 birds laying. Glad you went with one. I never find eggs on the floor and my eggs have been super clean. How many birds you have again? I think the small one should probably be good for 10 birds. It's rated for 20 I think, but I never trust what the company states. so cut it in half for good measure. Why do you feel you need another?

We have 10 laying hens with an additional 2 three month pullets. 6 more pullets on the way. I ordered the second because they all want to lay at the same time. And we have a divider in our coop to separate for different reasons.