How do I them to stop eating there eggs???

[Sydnee Fisher]

This morning one of my chickens knocked over my egg basket and started eating them now I have birds laying more eggs and have chickens trying to eat them?!?! I find oyster shells tend to flavor my eggs

 

[lazy gardener]

Any chicken will eat a cracked egg. If your birds are laying strong eggs, and not allowed to knock over your egg basket, you should not have an issue. Are the egg shells strong? If not, offer OS on the side, or you can use egg shells. And NO! feeding egg shell back to the flock will not turn them into egg eaters! You might also look at protein content of your feed if there is an issue with egg strength. Switch to a multi flock 18 - 20% or give them unmedicated starter. Do they free range? If not, give them a multi-vitamin.

If you don't like the flavor of your eggs (with or without the OS) switch to fermented feed.

 

[Sydnee Fisher]

Thank you my shells are pretty strong so I will just keep an eye on them they tried to eat one of my just laid eggs though

 

[rebrascora]

Curtains on your nest boxes will make them darker and the hens less likely to notice the eggs and peck at them. It is unusual for hens to eat their own eggs unless they get broken accidentally and then they are fair game in my opinion. Breaking open and eating good eggs usually indicates boredom, stress(often caused by overcrowding or lack of space) or lack of protein in the diet. They don't normally form a habit from one isolated incident like that (we've probably all accidentally dropped an egg or two when we have been collecting without further problems), but if you have a bird that has been laying soft/weak shelled eggs and they have been eating those on a more regular basis, it can become a problem.
If curtains don't solve it, your next step would be "roll away" nest boxes, where the eggs roll down a slight incline after they are laid into a section the hen can't get to or can't see.
I would be extremely surprised if the oyster shell is causing a flavour problem. Do they smell excessively fishy? If so try washing them before you give the hens access to them. In my opinion, it's more likely to be a fish meal component in your feed, if the flavour is fishy.

 

[Sydnee Fisher]

Curtains on your nest boxes will make them darker and the hens less likely to notice the eggs and peck at them. It is unusual for hens to eat their own eggs unless they get broken accidentally and then they are fair game in my opinion. Breaking open and eating good eggs usually indicates boredom, stress(often caused by overcrowding or lack of space) or lack of protein in the diet. They don't normally form a habit from one isolated incident like that (we've probably all accidentally dropped an egg or two when we have been collecting without further problems), but if you have a bird that has been laying soft/weak shelled eggs and they have been eating those on a more regular basis, it can become a problem.
If curtains don't solve it, your next step would be "roll away" nest boxes, where the eggs roll down a slight incline after they are laid into a section the hen can't get to or can't see.
I would be extremely surprised if the oyster shell is causing a flavour problem. Do they smell excessively fishy? If so try washing them before you give the hens access to them. In my opinion, it's more likely to be a fish meal component in your feed, if the flavour is fishy.

The flavor isn't really fishy but one of my costumers said they tasted weird and that was it we do feed them egg shells though isn't

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Feeding their eggshells back to your hens will not result in stronger eggshells but rather weaker eggshells. Eggshells are so fragile that they do not remain in a hens' digestive system long enough for the shells to be processed and absorbed.

 

[lazy gardener]

Feeding their eggshells back to your hens will not result in stronger eggshells but rather weaker eggshells. Eggshells are so fragile that they do not remain in a hens' digestive system long enough for the shells to be processed and absorbed.

Can you show a study that supports that theory?

 

[azygous]

If you're concerned your chickens may have ideas about snacking on their just-laid eggs, here's a very simple, easy to adapt to any nest box solution:

 

[lazy gardener]

Searching for the study I read that compared egg shell to oyster shell for Ca++ supplementation for poultry. Not able to find the original article, but ran across this article. If egg shell powder proves superior in preventing osteoporosis in post menopausal mammals, I believe it would be equally beneficial and as easily absorbed by the chicken.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15018022

 

[Sydnee Fisher]

Thank you guys for all your help! I found out one of my hens was laying super soft shelled eggs and we she laid it it just broke and like you all said ate only the broken eggs... I don't know what to do with my hen now she has always had problems since we got her...