hen eating the "bad" egg

[ashandryan]

I have a hen that just yesterday laid for me and then left it in the nesting box and went about her day. Then today, she laid an egg in the grass in the run while the two nesting boxes were occupied and then IMMEDIATELY ate it. It was a slightly deformed egg (the smaller pointier side was very misshapen and could have been soft I just didn't get to touch it.) Why would one day she leave an egg and the next day eat one?

I only got my chickens on Friday... We have had a whirlwind of circumstances but good old Trudy the naked-neck has now laid every day since I got her (2 days haha). But she ate one! Could she have miraculously tasted an egg between yesterday and today (one I didn't catch) and so was waiting to eat her own? Or was this probably a long-standing thing she may have been doing at her previous home (which they never would have really known since she owned 100+ chickens in a very very large run.)

Or could this be a one-time-thing? From what I read, no... it isn't a one-time-thing. But has anyone had experience with their hens eating an egg only once or twice and because they were perhaps "bad eggs" ?

Maybe I sound crazy but I am clinging to the hope that I won't have to constantly be on the search for her to lay an egg.

I will add that I did get to SEE her lay the egg this morning ... so cool! I had a "feeling" she was about to lay with all the squatting but found it SO ODD that she was doing it in the grass instead of a box like the day before. It was instantaneous that she ate the egg. Took two steps, looked at it and then ate it.

I will be feeding them more variety today and this week (I am so new that all they got so far was feed, carrot stems and "treats" aka the crunchy edge of a waffle I made). I definitely am going to provide more variety and protein as well as put some golf balls in the nesting boxes.

HELP!

 

[aart]

All they really need is a good feed...and some oyster shells for calcium.

If the hen's just been with you for 2 days, she's not settled in to her new home yet, will take awhile for her to fully adjust.
I'd just make sure you try and gather the eggs regularly, might nip the egg eating in the bud.

 

[ashandryan]

All they really need is a good feed...and some oyster shells for calcium.

If the hen's just been with you for 2 days, she's not settled in to her new home yet, will take awhile for her to fully adjust.
I'd just make sure you try and gather the eggs regularly, might nip the egg eating in the bud.

She laid again today but the egg was a little soft. We weren't home when she laid it but our retired neighbor said she laid it around 2pm because he saw through the fence (he loves these chickens...) when she did her little egg song that she took herself up into the nesting box and was making noises when normally the chickens are pretty quiet. That means she left it alone for about 3-4 hours and never pecked at it. We have been giving them oyster shell since yesterday so I'm hoping that in a week or so she will be back up and running. 3 eggs laid in the 3 days we've had her though makes me really hopeful for the future! Now if only she'd stop pecking the others (Please tell me that might be a adjustment thing too!)