HELP! I think my hens are eating their eggs.

[LIRedneckGirl]

Everything was going well for a few weeks now, my hens were laying their eggs normally in their coop, but all of them weren't returning to the coop at night. So recently I had locked them into their coop at night because I heard that if you do this for a couple of nights, they will know that that is their home. I had them locked up for the whole night until about 12 noon for about 2-3 days and all of a sudden for about a week now I don't see any eggs. I let them free range in the backyard during the day. Is it possible that they're laying their eggs somewhere else and eating their eggs? If so, how do I break this habit? I'm trying to keep an eye on them, but I don't see any eggs at all.

 

[Judy]

I'd say it's likely they are laying somewhere you haven't found. A wild critter could even be eating them there.

We do have a good article in our learning center on egg eating:

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

 

[sumi]

If your girls are laying in the nest boxes and eating the eggs they will leave traces of yolk or white behind, have a look. You may also see a few guilty faces covered in yolk. I once kept my hens cooped up for awhile instead of letting them free range the whole day (had a predator situation) and their egg production dropped, so it may be that.