Hen eating her own egg

mlkeen

In the Brooder
Oct 18, 2016
21
2
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I am new with chickens and I have a 6 month old hen that lays eggs regularly...except yesterday she layed an egg that was well over double in size and actually attacked it and pecked it immediately until there was nothing left and how I know this is watched her do it...is this normal? She never does this to the normal size eggs..
 
Welcome to BYC!

Hard to say.....could have been the size threw her for a loop.
Could be a one time thing....I'd just keep an eye on her.
Was the shell thinner than normal?
A curiosity peck can turn an egg into a meal.
Did you just watch her eat it?
If you see that again, take it away asap.

ETA:
Make sure they are getting plenty of protein and calcium.
 
Last edited:
Welcome to BYC!

Hard to say.....could have been the size threw her for a loop.
Could be a one time thing....I'd just keep an eye on her.
Was the shell thinner than normal?
A curiosity peck can turn an egg into a meal.
Did you just watch her eat it?
If you see that again, take it away asap.

ETA:
Make sure they are getting plenty of protein and calcium.
 
Hi there! Yes I watched her eat it..we just got a bag of calcium to add to her grain... the egg did look different from the other ones and I have gotten about 3 dozen eggs from her so far and she never did that before..
 
I'm also new to this forum and so if I mess up replying please forgive me as I try to figure it out lol
 
What is her regular feed?
Don't mix the oyster shell in with the feed, but keep it in a separate container always available.

I would have grabbed that egg from her to check it out....next time, if there is one.

Are you sure she's never eaten an egg before?
Usually you'll find nothing but a wet spot in the nest bedding or on the ground.
I had a thin shelled layer earlier this fall, had to keep changing out the bedding as it would get broken and eaten......stinky if you don't get it cleaned up.


No worries about the funky replies, you'll get it figured out.
 
She had a wet spot one other time but I couldn't find the egg and it was right after she layed the reallllllly big egg like yesterday..and I did clean out her nesting box..they get scratch grains as well as crumbles..plus as treats we give the mealworms,blacksunflower seeds,etc..
 
Egg production, Health and Behaviour all fall back to proper nutrition with Laying hens...Treats should only be 5% of a Birds daily diet...Meaning 1 Tablespoon a day per Bird.....If only feeding layer pellets? Add Grower crumble to the feed...Added protein...Oyster shell and granite grit free choice...


Cheers!
 
She had a wet spot one other time but I couldn't find the egg and it was right after she layed the reallllllly big egg like yesterday..and I did clean out her nesting box..they get scratch grains as well as crumbles..plus as treats we give the mealworms,blacksunflower seeds,etc..
What kind of crumbles?
Read the fine print on the tag sewn into bottom of bag for nutrition levels.
It's easy to dilute their protein levels with too many other foods.
Lack of protein and calcium can make egg eating a habit.



I like to feed a flock raiser/grower/finisher 20% protein crumble full time to all ages and genders, as non-layers(chicks, males and molting birds) do not need the extra calcium that is in layer feed and chicks and molters can use the extra protein. Makes life much simpler to store and distribute one type of chow that everyone can eat. I do grind up the crumbles (in the blender) for the chicks for the first week or so.

The higher protein crumble also offsets the 8% protein scratch grains and other kitchen/garden scraps I like to offer. I adjust the amounts of other feeds to get the protein levels desired with varying situations.

Calcium should be available at all times for the layers, I use oyster shell mixed with rinsed, dried, crushed chicken egg shells in a separate container.

Animal protein (mealworms, a little cheese - beware the salt content, meat scraps) is provided during molting and if I see any feather eating.
 
Hi, welcome to BYC!
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@aart has given all the information that I will 100% second.

And never again let a bird eat an egg in front of you.
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