HELP! I think I have an egg-eater

[icebat5000]

This morning my dad went outside to get the eggs and found a chicken with a egg shell in her mouth. Only two of the six chickens have started laying and I have recently started to feed them finely crushed egg shell for calcium. How do I stop them from eating their own eggs?

 

[Judy]

If an egg accidentally gets broken, the chickens will eat it. That does not make them egg eaters in itself. To be egg eaters, they have to learn to break the eggs open, which is not that common, although it does happen. I'd just watch for a while, make sure there is plenty of padding in the nest box (hay, straw, etc,) make sure the eggs are collected at least once a day, and see how it goes.

An egg gets broken in my coop now and then probably once or twice a month, and mine do not attack the eggs to get them open. Some old timers will break an especially dirty egg on the coop floor for the chickens to eat, without their flocks becoming egg eaters.

If you do have a real problem with egg eating, read here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/six-tips-on-breaking-your-egg-eater

 

[rgraf]

Mine have eaten eggs that have broken in the coop. I was worried that they would start breaking eggs and eating them, but it hasn't happened. I collect eggs regularly and haven't had any problems.

 

[icebat5000]

Okay, I'll keep an eye out and see if theyre breaking the eggs open or if that one egg somehow broke by itself and they ae it. Thanks for the advice!

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

If you really do have an egg eater, you can put out fake eggs and try to fake them out w/ those. They'll peck at them and give up when they can't break them.

I've also read that some people will blow out eggs and fill them full of mustard. This gives them a taste of something icky and they no longer think eggs taste good and stop pecking at them.