Finding the egg eater

[yyz0yyz0]

So I have an egg eater and I have no idea which hen it is. I work all day so can't be there to keep checking on the birds, when I get home I find a wet spot in the nest box sometimes I find pieces of shell in there as well.

My girls are 3 years old so I'm going to be culling some birds this fall anyway when my new pullets start laying.

As soon as I figure out who it is she is headed to freezer camp that day, I'm done losing eggs to her.

I don't think the normal suggestions for breaking an egg eater will work as she only seems to eat one egg( I assume it's one she just laid). So I don't think the fake egg or mustard filled egg would work here. I have dog crates I can use to separate out the hens one at time if needed, would that be the only way to find out who's eating the eggs?

 

[Granny Hatchet]

have you checked their beaks for egg goo ? One egg eater teaches the others pretty fast.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

It may not even be your birds. I toss soiled eggs into the run for my flock. You know what's usually left? Nothing. They eat everything, including the shell (and sometimes the dirt that has goo on it). However, when I had a mouse issue, I'd find egg shells chewed in half and licked clean, or an intact egg with a hole in it and the contents gone, sometimes there'd just be little pieces leftover.

Anyhoo, just a thought. Good luck!

 

[yyz0yyz0]

It may not even be your birds. I toss soiled eggs into the run for my flock. You know what's usually left? Nothing. They eat everything, including the shell (and sometimes the dirt that has goo on it). However, when I had a mouse issue, I'd find egg shells chewed in half and licked clean, or an intact egg with a hole in it and the contents gone, sometimes there'd just be little pieces leftover.

Anyhoo, just a thought. Good luck!

No, I'm pretty sure it's one of the hens. Most times I only find a wet spot in the nest box, only found egg shells a couple of times. It always seems to happen in broad daylight. I"ve looked for eggs in the morning then couple hours later I check again and find a wet spot.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

try some extra calcium in the diet. make them shells rocks !

 

[yyz0yyz0]

try some extra calcium in the diet. make them shells rocks !

I did setup a feeder with crushed eggs shells and crushed oyster shells, that was almost a week ago. Still finding evidence of egg eating ARGH!

thinking of trying curtains over the nest boxes to darken them, I'll see if that helps.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

that sounds like a great idea !! i would like to know how it works.. also I wonder if a week is long enough for the calcium to be in the shells ? do you notice a difference when you crack them ?

 

[aart]

Something I read not long ago was that someone used a ceramic egg as 'bait' by rolling it on the floor amongst the chooks and the first bird to go after the egg was separated......the egg eating stopped...... might be worth a try.