HELP! My chickens are eating the eggs!

[mamas chicks]

So my White Leghorn just started laying over the weekend. My husband was able to save one of the eggs but the others were not so lucky. Not sure which one of my chickens is doing it but they are eating the egg, shell and all. What do I do to fix this and why is this happening? Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Judy]

It would be unusual for pullets who just started laying to be confirmed egg eaters, in the sense that they break the eggs on purpose, in order to eat them. Any chicken will eat a broken egg if it is broken accidentally, or if the shell is so soft that it breaks that easily. Usually, "egg eaters" are older laying hens. Hopefully, this is just a hiccup -- its certainly not unusual to run into "hiccups" when they first start laying. Actually, lots of experienced chicken keepers will break a very dirty or otherwise damaged egg on the coop floor, just so the flock can have the nutrition from it. This does not seem to cause a flock to become "egg eaters."

Just in case, here is an article about dealing with real, confirmed egg eaters:

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

 

[welasharon]

Are you seeing them eat the eggs? Are there bits and pieces that you can see where they ate them?

 

[mamas chicks]

No there were no pieces left. It was all wet and gooey right where she laid her egg and it was all over her back as well.