Hen eating eggs, please help.

[chicklover16]

this morning I went out to gather eggs and was shocked to see my buff orpington hen eating an egg out from under my barred rock

so I marked her leg with a red string so that I could identify her as the egg eater. I know egg eating is a pretty common problem but I have no clue how to fix it...... any idea's?
thanks,
idy

 

[ChickenCanoe]

harvest eggs often, place fake eggs in nests so when they try to eat them they won't like it.
Clean up the mess immediately.
Don't wait till she teaches the others how good they taste.

 

[mstricer]

It probably isn't an why eater. More than likely it got cracked and she found herself a tasty treat. All of my hens are egg eaters when eggs crack.

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Mine eat broken eggs too. If you're not feeding a lay ration, I'd recommend offering supplemental oyster shell grit for calcium.

 

[1muttsfan]

If she was eating a freshly-layed egg out from under another hen, I would be pretty suspicious. You might try separating her for a week or so. If she eats her own eggs, she is a good candidate for the stewpot before she teaches the other hens a very bad habit.

 

[chicklover16]

thanks guys. I am going to try the fake egg thing. I REALLY don't want to have to cull her, I had to do that to one of the members of my flock several months ago and I cried for a week. I get very emotional over my babies.

 

[chicklover16]

hey, I heard that you can break open an egg and put pepper in it to make the chickens not like the taste of it? has anyone ever heard of this?

 

[they'reHISchickens]

You blow it out and fill it with mustard and cayenne and such but I doubt that works because hens don't have receptors for hot stuff. I'd try the ceramic eggs but FIRST and foremost remove her from the coop before the others learn!

 

[chicklover16]

You blow it out and fill it with mustard and cayenne and such but I doubt that works because hens don't have receptors for hot stuff. I'd try the ceramic eggs but FIRST and foremost remove her from the coop before the others learn!

ok thanks!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I have egg eaters too and have tried everything in the book. I really didn't want to cull my hens so I tried everything. Nothing worked until I built a "roll-a-way" nest box where the egg rolls out of reach of the hen. You do have to train them to use it though because there is no hay or anything in it. It does need "fake grass" or shelf liner though, I haven't added that part yet.