Had the craziest day yesterday.

[Kyng]

I’ve had chickens for almost two years, not too long, but also not very short.

Yesterday was our sabbath and we don’t collect eggs during the day, just at night after sundown.
We do this all the time, and I’ve gone longer without collecting and never had cracked eggs or anything.

My chickens were nuts all morning, loud as I’ve ever heard before, from before 6 and just cackling and egg singing without actually laying for hours.

Toward afternoon eggs started coming, and they were great. Started quieting down, then they started cracking the eggs and eating them. I think I lost three or more eggs. I’m not even sure.

Ended up with nine eggs, one pecked at, but not fully cracked, but all the eggs covered in goop and poop and mess. I tried blocking off the nesting boxes and covering the eggs, they bypassed it all.

By 5pm I was beside myself - figured all the neighbors reported me by now, and I now had chickens that will be eating their own eggs.

What could have gotten into them? Today they’re much quieter. Laid some eggs already, and no cracks or eaten ones yet.

 

[kattabelly]

Is it at all possible some other animal could've got in?

 

[Kyng]

Is it at all possible some other animal could've got in?

Nope.

 

[Callender Girl]

Sorry about the eggs you lost. A predator wouldn't have to get inside the coop to scare hens into unusual behavior. But, truly, I have no idea what triggered your girls.

Sometimes, my hens -- who are mostly older -- will decide to eat an egg, usually because someone has pushed one out of the way in a nest box, it cracks open and temptation and curiosity overtakes them. I've never had more than one broken egg at a time, though.

I discourage egg-eating by putting wooden or ceramic eggs into the nest boxes; no matter how much they peck, there's no reward so they usually give up quickly. I've heard of people who use golf balls instead of fake eggs. I think it's just important to break the habit as fast as possible. I hope things go better today!