How can I stop my chickens from eating their eggs?

[zackcesati]

Hi everyone, I've had chickens since September and over the winter the number of eggs being produced dropped drastically. Some people told me that was just because of the cold and they would begin to lay more in the spring. However, I've been finding what looks like yolk and pieces of shell in their nesting boxes, and I'm scared they're beginning to eat their own eggs. Is there anything I can do get them to stop? I've been mixing up their diet plenty of fruits and veggies, some leftovers, meal worms, cracked corn. Is there anything else I should be doing?

 

[nchls school]

Hi everyone, I've had chickens since September and over the winter the number of eggs being produced dropped drastically. Some people told me that was just because of the cold and they would begin to lay more in the spring. However, I've been finding what looks like yolk and pieces of shell in their nesting boxes, and I'm scared they're beginning to eat their own eggs. Is there anything I can do get them to stop? I've been mixing up their diet plenty of fruits and veggies, some leftovers, meal worms, cracked corn. Is there anything else I should be doing?

If your birds are tame and comfortable with your presence, take an egg and set it on the coop floor. Egg eaters will come to the egg and try to break it. Separate these birds from the rest. Egg eating is a habit that can be hard to break. In the past I have had luck putting an unbreakable dummy egg where the birds can get at it. After failing to break this egg the habit sometimes stops. Frequent egg collecting helps a great deal.

 

[zackcesati]

I just tried that egg test and they all seemed to want to get in there and break it open...

 

[nchls school]

I just tried that egg test and they all seemed to want to get in there and break it open...

Yes, been there and done that. The only thing I can think for you to do is put an unbreakable egg in the coop and let them try to beak that-then collect eggs frequently. Good luck. Once this habit is ingrained it is hard to impossible to stop. You may be able to find roll away nest boxes where the egg rolls where the birds can not get to it after the egg is laid.

 

[RockyFieldsFarm]

Frequent egg collecting send to work for us. I set out golf balls in the nest as well.

 

[Monguire]

Do you have your chooks on a regular ration? Some sort of layer or grower feed or do you just feed them "fruits and veggies, some leftovers, meal worms, cracked corn"? The reason I ask is that without a balanced diet (like that found in layer or grower) the chooks could be going after the eggs to fill nutritional gaps...namely protein and calcium.

That said, I implemented Opa's rollout design from day 1 and have never had a problem with egg-eating. Such a simple thing to do to ensure the eggs don't stick around long enough for the chooks to wonder what they might taste like and it makes daily collection super-simple. Rollout boxes are highly recommended if you can retrofit but are not as important as a balanced diet.

 

[aart]

Do you have your chooks on a regular ration? Some sort of layer or grower feed or do you just feed them "fruits and veggies, some leftovers, meal worms, cracked corn"? The reason I ask is that without a balanced diet (like that found in layer or grower) the chooks could be going after the eggs to fill nutritional gaps...namely protein and calcium.

That said, I implemented Opa's rollout design from day 1 and have never had a problem with egg-eating. Such a simple thing to do to ensure the eggs don't stick around long enough for the chooks to wonder what they might taste like and it makes daily collection super-simple. Rollout boxes are highly recommended if you can retrofit but are not as important as a balanced diet.

Ditto Dat^^^^

You've got to feed them what they need, or they'll find it themselves.