Hens eating eggs, is mustard good enough?

[TheDisease21002]

What is a 7:3 ratio grain?
How much grain do they get daily?

Just trying to rule out any nutritional issue.

it's about 2-3 cups of grain with 7-8 cups of feed

it's about 2-3 cups of grain with 7-8 cups of feed

 

[TeenageRooster's Dad]

Give them high protein diet and oyster shell
Also put a cloth curtain at the entrance of the nesting boxes, if the nest box is dark they can't see the eggs clearly enough to eat them.

Yup, similar issue recently when they were spending lil more "prison yard" time and not ranging during the holidays. Curtains made out of multi layered cheese cloth really worked from the start.

But diet could also be the trigger for this behavior, lack of protein as mentioned. My dad swears Greek Yogurt and/or oats mixed with buttermilk will fill 'em up and discourage them from doing so.

In my case I found out only one hen was doing it.. Mrs White... a 11lb Light Brahma who's the bully in chief... did she do it for spite and selection?

 

[21hens-incharge]

it's about 2-3 cups of grain with 7-8 cups of feed

If you are mixing the grain with the 18% feed in that amount then your protein is being greatly reduced.

Can you try just the 18% feed with no grain mixed in?
Chickens will pick out the yummy grain and leave the feed. The grains should not be more than a couple tablespoons per hen offered separate from the pellets or crumble. More than that and they don't get enough protein or calcium.

My personal experience with this was taking in 6 hens that were fed that way. None ever laid properly. All but one has died in just 2 years making her 3 years old now. Everyone was very thin with dull feathers. Three were egg eaters that stopped that in a couple weeks on pellets and mackerel.

 

[TheDisease21002]

If you are mixing the grain with the 18% feed in that amount then your protein is being greatly reduced.

Can you try just the 18% feed with no grain mixed in?
Chickens will pick out the yummy grain and leave the feed. The grains should not be more than a couple tablespoons per hen offered separate from the sellers or crumble. More than that and they don't get enough protein or calcium.

My personal experience with this was taking in 6 hens that were fed that way. None ever laid properly. All but one has died in just 2 years making her 3 years old now. Everyone was very thin with dull feathers. Three were egg eaters that stopped that in a couple weeks on pellets and mackerel.

I see then, thank you for the advice, I'll be moving them to full layer feed immediately. While I do that I will also post a picture of the grain j was giving them to another forum and see exactly what type of grains I was feeding them in the first place

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I see then, thank you for the advice, I'll be moving them to full layer feed immediately. While I do that I will also post a picture of the grain j was giving them to another forum and see exactly what type of grains I was feeding them in the first place

To follow up on what @21hens-incharge stated, IF your feed is 18%, your ratio of grain to feed will yield a 15% crude protein total intake. More likely is that your layer feed is 16% protein. That means your birds have been getting closer to 13% crude protein. Add to that the fact that grains are low(read that as deficient) in Lysine and Methionine so while CP is low, a couple essential amino acids could be dangerously low. I'd be eating eggs too if that was the case.

In response to your original post, I like the taste of mustard and your chickens may as well. If you want to fill the eggs with something, I'd try something like sand rather than something with flavor. You could also add 5% vinegar to the sand which may make the sand even more unpalatable.
Several fake (ceramic or wood) eggs seem to work quite well. They try to break them and are unsuccessful so may give up.
Egg eating usually starts when an egg breaks, contents are eaten and they discover they are delicious.

 

[aart]

While I do that I will also post a picture of the grain j was giving them to another forum and see exactly what type of grains I was feeding them in the first place

What matters is what the nutrition levels of the grain mix is.
There should be a tag listing ingredients and protein percentage.

The egg eating could be a lack of nutrition, protein and /or calcium...
...or could also be a crowding/behavioral issue.

I see you're fairly new here, so....
Welcome to BYC!
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[TheDisease21002]

What matters is what the nutrition levels of the grain mix is.
There should be a tag listing ingredients and protein percentage.

The egg eating could be a lack of nutrition, protein and /or calcium...
...or could also be a crowding/behavioral issue.

I see you're fairly new here, so....
Welcome to BYC!
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!
View attachment 1664137

Sadly, the bad doesn't list any nutrition information whatsoever, I bought it again feed store here and the workers there said that it would be sufficient thought that doesn't seem to be the case. As for the geographical information, I will add them to my account soon.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sadly, the bad doesn't list any nutrition information whatsoever, I bought it again feed store here and the workers there said that it would be sufficient thought that doesn't seem to be the case. As for the geographical information, I will add them to my account soon.

There's your sign to NEVER trust the advice of a feed store employee on anything related to animal husbandry or nutrition. They know where the feed is stored and in most cases, little else on the subject.
I almost always hear misinformation proffered when I'm in the feed store.
I then catch the customer in the parking lot and tell them the truth.
They said the grain would be sufficient - for what? As fresh, as a scratch grain, as a complete feed?

 

[MissChick@dee]

I had just one episode of egg eating. Oddly enough it started when my LH laid/dropped a soft shell egg in the yard. It was a hiccup and she’s fine now.
I noticed her odd behavior I walked over and as soon as I spotted the softie so did my RSL ...the battle was on I could not pick it up or rub it into the dirt fast enough!
I didn’t think much about it till the next day. Then in the nest box was a broken eaten (all but shell) egg! Now the RSL had taught my EE how delicious the egg was. The evidence was all over their beaks. It doesn’t take much for it to become a real problem. I don’t believe it had to do with diet...they just taste yummie. The fake eggs work. I haven’t had another episode and it’s been a year.

 

[aart]

As for the geographical information, I will add them to my account soon.

Important info for those trying to help...
....if you're not in the US, it makes things much different.