help

[gerbear2012]

I have an americana chicken and barred rock sorry for the mispelling but any ways I'm trying to get my hens to lay on there eggs which they do they have been laying one a day. Today I notice that my little hen only had 3 eggs and yesterday she had five so I looked around the coop and couldn't find them so I moved her eggs to a nesting box cause thought a wild animal got them well come to find out it was the americana we watched her do it but by the time we got in there she already had it broke open so now my little girl has 2 left and she has 5 is there any way I can get her to stop doing it so they both will hatch out there babies?

 

[Den in Penn]

Found one of the hazards of leaving eggs in the nest, you did. If you are trying to get a hen to go broody (hatch eggs) by leaving eggs in the nest, try using fake eggs, plastic, ceramic, wooden or even golf balls. Even then you may not get one to go broody. The hens hormones have to be right for her to go broody.

 

[ChicKat]

Welcome to the forum----

Another advantage of 'fake eggs' for you would be that the hen won't be able to break into the shell and eat the egg--- it is a very bad habit.
You can get fake eggs on line, on ebay and at some feed stores.
One source is coops n more
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-PASTEL-C...ultDomain_0&hash=item1e61b134bd#ht_1285wt_600.

I also think that the 'cracker barrel' restaurants have the fake eggs.

 

[sourland]

Egg eating can be a very difficult habit to break. Increased calcium sources for harder eggs may help. Also a flap across part of the nest box so as to darken the box may help.