Help! Chickens Eating Eggs!

[Rietta]

Try laying fake eggs.. ceramic which I get at the craft store... around, they will quickly learn they are nothing interesting. With new layers I keep them in the nest boxes too, it helps when they see them in there. My hens do eat eggs they find on the ground which is an occasional accident, or if one falls and breaks. They (as far as I have seen) don't search them out. I also feed my chickens eggs as treats on occasion but make sure they don't resemble eggs and I don't give them the shells unless they are crushed. Adding oyster grit can help if they are needing more calcium.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Try laying fake eggs.. ceramic which I get at the craft store... around, they will quickly learn they are nothing interesting. With new layers I keep them in the nest boxes too, it helps when they see them in there. My hens do eat eggs they find on the ground which is an occasional accident, or if one falls and breaks. They (as far as I have seen) don't search them out. I also feed my chickens eggs as treats on occasion but make sure they don't resemble eggs and I don't give them the shells unless they are crushed. Adding oyster grit can help if they are needing more calcium.

More great ideas. Thank you! I will try ceramic eggs, too. I think Darla might need an extra learning aid or two to get it right. Plus it will help the few others who have yet to lay.

It was cute with the other 3 layers. When we felt they were gonna drop an egg any day, we coaxed them to the boxes and talked to them about why they had to lay there, shaping a nest while they watched. It really felt like they were listening and taking note. Sure enough, the next day, we had two brown eggs in the nesting box!

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

She sounds personality wise like a turkey lol, You're right, if you watch em there are the pioneers and the settlers, like people I guess.

I like that mustard idea, It sounds like it could work. Says me who has a little cayenne laced beef jerky setting on the edge of my end table, where my little mutts know they aren't supposed to get food from. They don't, until I leave the room.

Your beef jerky stash!! Now that's personal!

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

I don't know if you all will see this but the plot has thickened in a somewhat sad way. We do believe Darla has continued to lay in the run every day and all the other girls eat her eggs (we are always a few moments too late). She generally seems confused about the whole thing.

Anyway, today I noticed she was getting particularly brutally picked on (which is not normal for our flock). Every time she'd try to eat she'd get a peck, and eventually she'd wander to the other corner of the run sheepishly not knowing what to do with herself and then lying down. I even saw her take a barrage to her crown while she stayed low in a gesture of submission. When the coast would be clear she'd get up and start eating like crazy, but then the same problem hens would see her, start eating, and peck at her until she runs away. I did notice that she had a bit of a comb and beak injury (which I sprayed Vetericyn on).

Well, the thing is, she's noticeably more out of it and slower--like, she lays down and goes to sleep a lot (in between trying to eat and drinking--she perks up a ton when she can). When walking around she seems slower, stiller, and like she doesn't know what to do with herself--not walking like a penguin or anything though. Her poops look fine. She's just... depressed-seeming.

So, do chickens get depressed from bullying? Is it possible the stress of starting to lay plus all the bullying (and having her eggs eaten) has gotten to her? Or is she sick and they sense it, hence said bullying? Do you think egg binding could be happening this go-round?

Hoping someone sees this. My heart breaks for her and I hope this is only temporary. My flock had been so harmonious prior to all the laying.

 

[Kiki]

I don't know if you all will see this but the plot has thickened in a somewhat sad way. We do believe Darla has continued to lay in the run every day and all the other girls eat her eggs (we are always a few moments too late). She generally seems confused about the whole thing.

Anyway, today I noticed she was getting particularly brutally picked on (which is not normal for our flock). Every time she'd try to eat she'd get a peck, and eventually she'd wander to the other corner of the run sheepishly not knowing what to do with herself and then lying down. I even saw her take a barrage to her crown while she stayed low in a gesture of submission. When the coast would be clear she'd get up and start eating like crazy, but then the same problem hens would see her, start eating, and peck at her until she runs away. I did notice that she had a bit of a comb and beak injury (which I sprayed Vetericyn on).

Well, the thing is, she's noticeably more out of it and slower--like, she lays down and goes to sleep a lot (in between trying to eat and drinking--she perks up a ton when she can). When walking around she seems slower, stiller, and like she doesn't know what to do with herself--not walking like a penguin or anything though. Her poops look fine. She's just... depressed-seeming.

So, do chickens get depressed from bullying? Is it possible the stress of starting to lay plus all the bullying (and having her eggs eaten) has gotten to her? Or is she sick and they sense it, hence said bullying? Do you think egg binding could be happening this go-round?

Hoping someone sees this. My heart breaks for her and I hope this is only temporary. My flock had been so harmonious prior to all the laying.

Poor thing...it is highly possible they are not letting her eat at all and she is not getting enough nutrition.
Can you separate her with her own food for a while to see if that perks her up?

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Poor thing...it is highly possible they are not letting her eat at all and she is not getting enough nutrition.
Can you separate her with her own food for a while to see if that perks her up?

We only noticed it today and I've been ensuring she gets plenty. She had a bunch of mash and water multiple times (I watched), but yeah, I'm worried because I'm not always going to be around all day like that. I'm hoping the fact she eats and drinks (when she can) means it might be a psychological rather than a physical issue we're seeing re: her depressed behavior