Flock gone mad ate a soft egg!

[FortWorthChicks]

I was out in the yard and my one of my hens Edith was looking strange to me. Squatted yet standing and I was concerned. I squatted down to see if i could see her vent without messing with her and all of a sudden...!!!

Out popped an egg. I stood there a bit shocked she had not gone to the nest like she would normally do and thats when the other hens attacked the egg on the ground and started eating it!!

I shoood them away and cleaned up what I could my hope is that they wont start eating eggs now and this is a one time thing.

They have oyster shell I mix into their mix so this is also my first soft shell! STRANGE STUFF.

 

[yotetrapper]

Not really strange. I've found many a softshell egg remains in the coop over the years the hens have got. I'm hoping you dont have occurences of egg eating now, but you might. Mine have even figured out how to roll the eggs out over the lip of the nest boxes to smash them on the ground to eat them, lol. Was so bad last year I could hardly ever get an egg. Killed the 6 worst culprits and most of the egg eating has died way down.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Not that strange to me either. Mine do the same thing and have no egg eating habits.

 

[FortWorthChicks]

 

[Chickenaddict]

Thats normal to me, every once in awhile I get a softshelled egg and I let them eat it, they have never broke open a normal egg to eat it.

 

[patman75]

Soft shell eggs allways get eaten by my girls when it happens. they have never eaten a regular hard shelled egg.

 

[FortWorthChicks]

Thanks, I am glad to hear it. Partly because my favourite hen Fancy-pants was the first hen to attack the egg!

 

[chocolate m'scovy]

I know that if I drop an egg and crack it, the hens come zooming over and wolf it up! I guess they love all things red/orange. I wouldn't let them eat eggs, though, because the last thing I need from my girls is them discovering how tasty the things inside those funny shells are!

 

[MowNGrow]

This raises a question I am yet to find an answer too. Is there a way to design your coop so the egg rolls out? I am thinking the same way they do for the battery hens? I am in the process of designing a new coop so input here would be great.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Quote:
Look up "Henspa".