How do YOU catch the egg eater?!

[SecondChanceRanch]

Every morning my eggs are all crushed an eaten. I was hoping you all could tell me how you find the culprits. I do not have a big open coop so short of folding down the nestbox, and being face to face how do I do this?

Used to get half a dozen a day, now it's taken me a week to get 6.

Feeling frustrated!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Are you sure it is not a skunk or a possum? They both love eggs. A skunk cracks the eggs and licks them clean, it kinda looks like you had a bunch of eggs hatch. A possum tends to crush them.

You can build a roll-away or roll-out nest box. There are some instructions on the forum. Basically the eggs roll to a place the chickens cannot get to them.

You can try putting an egg down there and bring a chair and something to read. See if oen opens an egg in front of you. It might take a while.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Greetings SecondChanceRanch,

Yes, that is so upsetting to find the eggs, with not only broken shells, but the yolks eaten too. And what about the mess that has to be cleaned!

But, Ridgerunner is right...a roll away nest box is the best solution. Other than that, you would have to catch them red handed, as I did. Or, perhaps a game cam in the coop will reveal the egg eater (chicken, opossum, skunk, or rat).

If the culprit is not a chicken, your problems are bigger than just egg eating. So do try to identify the egg eater.

In my case, I found the hen that was eating the eggs. When I picked her up, she had yolk all over her beak. But, I also noticed something else about her. She was very thin, even though food was plentiful. A trip to the vet, showed she was sick with an infection and possible ovary tumor. So, sometimes there is a motivation other than just, yummy yolks.

Here are some ideas for roll away nest boxes.

By the way, once the hen was treated for infection, she stopped breaking eggs. Is still on the thin side, but not like she was.

These are my thoughts on your egg eating issue, I hope they are helpful.

God Bless

 

[aart]

Every morning my eggs are all crushed an eaten.

Are you finding these early in the morning?
If so, collect eggs at night when locking up, don't leave them in the coop overnight.
Are the shells very thin, you may have to examine closely amongst the mess to decide.

Are you sure it is not a skunk or a possum?

Good question. Chickens would eat the shells too.

 

[Chickassan]

Im curious about your shells too, mine don't eat eggs I could leave them forever but if the egg happens to be a softie all bets are off it is lunch except that funky shell.

 

[SecondChanceRanch]

They are definitely not eating the shells. But, I have seen them go and peck at whatever's left inside. They are eating 4 at a time and the shells are smashed and the yolks are gone. BUT, this only happens in the a.m. if they haophato lay in the afternoon they don't crush them.

 

[Beer can]

In my experience just upping their protein level a little stops the egg eating. Might not always help but has stopped my egg eaters a few times.

 

[aart]

They are definitely not eating the shells. But, I have seen them go and peck at whatever's left inside. They are eating 4 at a time and the shells are smashed and the yolks are gone. BUT, this only happens in the a.m. if they haophato lay in the afternoon they don't crush them.

Are the shells thin?
What time are finding this?
What's the difference between morning and afternoon,
are they inside in the morning and allowed outside in afternoon?
Any chance you can gather more often?
Ceramic eggs can help break this habit.

 

[aligarysmom]

I agree the ceramic eggs can stop this. When they pick and don’t get in they give up. But you would have to get th real ones out. It seems strange that you are finding this in the morning. If the chickens were eating them wouldn’t they do it at all times ?

 

[RWise]

As aart said, gather the eggs before dark!
There is no reason to let those eggs attract predators.
If an egg gets broken the girls will clean up the mess and should eat the shell as well, mine certainly do.
When I suspect a girl is eating good eggs, I put her in private quarters with an egg, if she breaks it and eats it, I have diner. So far I have not found one to break good eggs!