Hen eating her eggs

[Cliff Chicks]

I'm having trouble with hen eating her own eggs. I've tried golf balls in the nesting box & a fake egg too.

 

[KaylorFarms]

Trimming her beak might help. or if you keep the fake egg in their her beak will get sore and she might stop this habit. Or collect eggs as soon as possible.

 

[Bantambird]

Curtains can also help. Definitely collect often.

 

[aart]

I'm having trouble with hen eating her own eggs. I've tried golf balls in the nesting box & a fake egg too.

I see you've just added some new birds, for a total of 4 birds?
....and you had an egg eater before that too?

How big is your coop in feet by feet?
Pics would help.

What and how exactly are you feeding?

 

[3riverschick]

Well , I would get that hen out of there . give her way or something before the other hens decide to learn from her ...and you have a more widespread problem !
Just my thought ,
Karen

 

[junebuggena]

I see you've just added some new birds, for a total of 4 birds?
....and you had an egg eater before that too?

How big is your coop in feet by feet?
Pics would help.

What and how exactly are you feeding?

These questions and a few more. Any young birds that just recently started laying or older birds just starting back up after a break?

 

[Cliff Chicks]

I have a Buff Orpington & an Easter Egger they were laying fine except the EH egg was always odd shaped and with a thin shell, because I felt I enjoyed the chickens I got 3 babies(Welsummer & a Delaware), I merged them into the flock, one ended up being a Rooster so I found a bird store that would take him. Each time there was a change to the coop of course there was an adjustment going on, but all the sudden now the EH was not laying at all and I caught the Buff and her eating one of the Blue EH eggs so I put golf balls in the nesting box, then put a mustard filled egg (a friend gave me her blue egg to fill) in the box along with a curtain. I did get one egg from the EH then for a week now no egg from her. I get a brown egg consistently & her shell is thick and normal.

I feed them the pictured bags of food along with vegi's from the kitchen, pasta, dried worms/crickets (once a wk) etc.

The bottom picture shows how I have now separated the EH as of last night to see what happens to her eggs. I still have the curtain up to make it dark in her nesting box.

I have two coop sense I got the babies cause I felt the one wasn't big enough for 4 chickens, they were sleeping 2 and 2 each at night & just getting to where they are all hanging out comfortably except for me not getting my EH egg. The babies are only 5 months old (I think) and the other two are about a year old now.

I hope this gives you enough info to figure out what my problem is so I can have a calm loving hen house and get my eggs too!!

(PLEASE HELP I'M DESPERATE AND DON'T WANT TO GET RID OF MY EH)

 

[junebuggena]

I have a Buff Orpington & an Easter Egger they were laying fine except the EH egg was always odd shaped and with a thin shell, because I felt I enjoyed the chickens I got 3 babies(Welsummer & a Delaware), I merged them into the flock, one ended up being a Rooster so I found a bird store that would take him. Each time there was a change to the coop of course there was an adjustment going on, but all the sudden now the EH was not laying at all and I caught the Buff and her eating one of the Blue EH eggs so I put golf balls in the nesting box, then put a mustard filled egg (a friend gave me her blue egg to fill) in the box along with a curtain. I did get one egg from the EH then for a week now no egg from her. I get a brown egg consistently & her shell is thick and normal.

I feed them the pictured bags of food along with vegi's from the kitchen, pasta, dried worms/crickets (once a wk) etc.

The bottom picture shows how I have now separated the EH as of last night to see what happens to her eggs. I still have the curtain up to make it dark in her nesting box.

I have two coop sense I got the babies cause I felt the one wasn't big enough for 4 chickens, they were sleeping 2 and 2 each at night & just getting to where they are all hanging out comfortably except for me not getting my EH egg. The babies are only 5 months old (I think) and the other two are about a year old now.

I hope this gives you enough info to figure out what my problem is so I can have a calm loving hen house and get my eggs too!!

(PLEASE HELP I'M DESPERATE AND DON'T WANT TO GET RID OF MY EH)

Just stop giving the lower protein treats like veggies and pasta, or switch to a higher protein feed to help compensate for any low protein treats. 16% protein is the bare minimum needed for egg production. 9 times out of 10, egg eating is due to insufficient protein intake.

 

[Cliff Chicks]

Can you tell me what feed you use? I've only seen these two at my feed store.

 

[junebuggena]

Can you tell me what feed you use? I've only seen these two at my feed store.

I use unmedicated chick starter or Flock Raiser. I've never bothered with layer at all. It's not required. There is no magic ingredient in layer feed. It's just regular feed with less protein and a lot more calcium added.