Help!! Beloved Hens eating eggs

[highcountrychickens]

Hoo Nelly... My BELOVED bunch of Black Jersey Giants have begun to lay... and yes you read it in the subject line... a few of my favorites have begun to eat the eggs.

I have had wood eggs scattered about for many many months (since they first went out and I saw the potential for this problem when they were in with an older hen who was laying, and went alpha sierra on every egg she laid... She was taken by a fox, so I had a chance to start over.)
The wooden eggs didn't work.
So today I got a few store bought eggs, blew out the contents, mixed them with SEVERAL tablespoons of cayenne pepper, and with a syringe, refilled the eggs with the atomic mixture and sealed it with wax.
I put them in the coop and herded the scofflaws in from their daily freerange jaunt. They marched into the coop, broke the dummy eggs - and thought they had gone to Mexico... They LOVED the spicy versions of their favorite food!!

They have a great 18% layer feed, oyster shell and grit, lots of water and scratch and scraps and cat food and fresh fruit (not strawberries) they are friendly and happy, and coo coo about food - also they free range around the place almost every day.

Does anyone have any ideas? I really do like this bunch so much, and just don't want to resort to the soup option.

Has anyone had luck with Mustard? Any other thing that would break them of their taste for eggs?

The laying boxes where the eggs roll into the cage are a great option, but I'd love to learn how to deal with the behavior.

Thank you!

 

[mamaKate]

I have read posts about stopping egg eating but it's been long enough I can't remember the solutions.lol I'm thinking upping their protein intake might help. They're really creatures of habit so if you could restrict they're access to the eggs temporarily, they might forget.

 

[Brindlebtch]

I've read that if you have hens eating eggs you need to increase their protein intake with shredded cheese, yogurt, fish, sunflower seeds, etc.

and

you can blow out some eggs and fill them with mustard, which they hate. Hens can't taste cayenne because they don't have the receptors in their mouth (or something) to taste hot foods. I have read several times here to use mustard.

I'm sure the veterans will weigh in with better ideas!

Good luck and I hope you fix the problem.

 

[rufus]

Search for the roll away nest. The floor of the nest is inclined slightly so that the eggs roll back under a false back where the hens cannot get to them.

Put old light bulbs, door knob and golf balls in the nest. They peck on enough junk, they will get frustrated and give up.

Put small kids on the look out for eggs. The kids beat the hens to the eggs every time. It keeps the kids busy and the hens honest.

The nasty egg trick never works. However one posters did say she had some success with an ipecac egg.

Good luck,

Rufus

 

[Uppity Peon]

They don't mind cayenne. They hate mustard. Cayenne might be the ticket if it was your dog eating the eggs.

 

[shuizar209]

Quote:
I agree. Use mustard. Your hens will be pleasantly surprised. HEHEHE!!!

 

[Windwhistlefarm]

RE; increasing protein-I have read in a thread a while back some folks said dog or cat food was used. Is that dry or canned?