how can i get my hens to stop eating eggs??

[SassyKat6181]

I haven't had the problem, but I've read on other posts to put a dark curtain on the front of the nest box.....this way the hens can't see the eggs to peck at them.

 

[andrew6d9]

I have gotten the eggs reguarly and separated it from the flock. They also always have fresh feed and water but some of them just find the need to eat them every so often. They also always have oyster shells.

 

[Christie Rhae]

I was having a problem now and then with broken eggs, sometimes the shells would have been eaten but other times it was just a broken egg among the unbroken ones.

A while back I had cut cardboard to fit in the bottoms of the nest boxes because they always kicked the pine shavings out and I would get little cracks where the eggs landed when laid. I got lazy about putting shavings in because the cardboard was there as a cushion. I think my girls were scratching at the cardboard to rustle up some nesting material and were breaking eggs. I started loaded up with pine shavings again and have not had a single broken egg in weeks. Go figure!

 

[kano]

Try dark nests and fake eggs.

 

[Snegurochka]

Ditto to the previous poster. Chickens don't like the dark so they'll want to get out of the nestbox as soon as possible. As for fake eggs, I used plastic easter eggs and the hens didn't seem to notice the difference. You might also want to check up on why your hen(s) is eating eggs in the first place. In my case it was because the roo wasn't letting her get to the food and water, and once I put feed up in the window sill she stopped doing it.

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

Hens don't always break eggs to get the contents. I've seen them break them only to eat the shells and leave the contents lying on the ground. It's a good idea to always keep oyster shell at hand. With some flocks it may work best to scatter it around(such as in the run)instead of in a container. I helped a friend of mine last week by scattering the oyster shell(he didn't know or have any). They quit breaking eggs the next day. If their bodies are craving calcium, they will try to get it. It's best to try and not let them get to that point.