Hens Eating Eggs (help)

[4estgump]

What can i do to stop my hens eating their eggs? HELP HELP
Thank You 4estgump

 

[feathersnuggles]

I wrote this for someone else's post recently, it could help you figure out how to deal with this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4048195#p4048195

 

[cluckcluck42]

GO to your feed store and buy a couple fake eggs, try to collect eggs as many times as u can in a day and replace them with the fake eggs. At least that is what I would do. I think golf balls work as well and may actually be cheaper. Good luck!

 

[astecksouls]

If they eat the eggs they probably low on calcium u could buy oyster shells and mix it with their feed they should stop eating them

 

[HorseFeathers]

The other posters are right: Provide more calcium and collect eggs as frequently as possible. If it gets really bad I suggest culling the hen — as mean as that may sound, egg-eating hens are nothing but trouble.

 

[ubumartin]

Try a golf ball or two in the nest box. This stopped my chickens from poking a hole in the eggs. Not a problem since. I just leave them in there all the time. I did take them out when one was broody because she would sit on the golf ball too.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
Me too. Solved my problems.

 

[awalters0815]

Quote:
no, don't mix it. put the oyster shell in a separate dish.

 

[zazouse]

You know i learned something a while back,

i started finding broken /eaten eggs in different nest boxes,and thought it was my hens doing it,but they will not eat an egg unless it is broken, so i started watching the girls and noticed that one of my roosters got in the box and try to mate with the hen, when i got him out i found a broken eggs of course the girls ate them up.

Next day same thing happened, crazy rooster never messed with the girls unless they were in the box,now the rooster is gone and i have no more broken /eaten eggs.

 

[WilczenskiFarm]

A couple other things...

Make sure there's enough bedding in the nesting box. I don't know if you've seen them actually lay an egg, but they actually stand up in the last minute and the egg drops from almost a full standing position. Not enough bedding = broken eggs.

I've seen a another thread (but couldn't find it tonight) where a woman took a plastic Easter egg and put dish washing detergent in it. The hen never tried cracking it again, broke the habit in 2 days.

We do calcium bits in their food and off to the side in a separate dish.

Craft stores have wooden eggs... I leave them in there all the time.