Hen Eating Her Eggs --(Has Oyster Shells)

[Chris Mac]

Okay,

This is driving me crazy. From what I can tell, one of my three hens is eating her eggs. They're always had crushed oyster shell available to them, so I can't figure it out. I also can't tell which hen it is, LOL. Clearly it's not the Ameracauna because I collect hers everyday & the color gives her away. I also collect a brown egg everyday -- but I have a Rhodie and a Black Star. So one of them is poking holes or smashing them entirely.

HELP. It's driving me crazy.

 

[aprophet]

could be a snake have you seen this post?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1463000

 

[Chris Mac]

Well, this is definitely pecking on the egg shell, you know? Also the other eggs are always fine....so I'm guessing it isn't a snake.

 

[Chris Mac]

LOL ~ Just bumping this up to see if anyone has any idea as to why she's behaving this way. (See my first post)

Thanks!

 

[Sierra pachie bars]

Some are just egg eatters. I have a maran currently doing it. She is wearing the proof on her face.

Often they can lay a soft shelled egg that cracks and then they eat it. So you need to rule accidental breaking. The whole idea is not to let them know how yummy their eggs are. I have had to cull one egg eatter but that was over a year ago. I have upped oyster shell, they get it in a little dish free fed. Also I have been giving them black seeds.
So hoping that will do the trick.

 

[midwestchickenwrangler]

Sometimes if I don't collect eggs every day, one of my hens will indulge in a yummy egg. Try collecting the eggs more often, that usually helps me when mine eat eggs.

 

[naughtyhens]

Put some stone or ceramic eggs in the nest. I hear if they peck one of those they'll get a gentle but memorable lesson- ouch. Since they can't tell the difference between fake eggs and real they'll avoid pecking at anything like that. This is just what I've heard- from someone who has kept chickens a long long time.

 

[Bleenie]

I have an EE hen that lays soft shelled eggs fairly often. sometimes she even drops them from up on the roost and they end up broken on the floor. I don't know that it's her but one of my girls started eating an egg every so often after the EE started doing this.... I think i just have weird birds though.

PS. the EE lays nice eggs too, sometimes i get a soft & hard in the same day from her... she's young & has been real irregular with her laying since she started. She's healthy otherwise though and i know it's not a calcium deficiency, all the other eggs are nice and hard shelled.

 

[Chris Mac]

Thanks, everybody. It looks as though she's stopped pecking at them for whatever reason. The next time I may try placing a fake egg in there as was suggested. (Also, I collect my eggs everyday -- it's very rare that I skip a day especially since this started!)

Thanks!