How do you stop a hen from eating her eggs ?

[sellersgang]

he may become sunday dinner then

 

[ELOISEtheCHICKEN]

So...does anyone think that if I cage her up with fake eggs with hotpick on them that it will stop her from eating her own eggs? She is allowed to free range about 12 hours a day and bad habits are hard to get rid of. So any other ideas? I just gave them 4 cups of oyster shells and a large tub of yogurt. I will keep giving them all the oyster shells they can eat.

 

[Oblio13]

Collect eggs frequently, keep the nesting box dark (chickens don't eat in the dark), and put a couple stone eggs in the nest (all they get from pecking them is a headache).

 

[PeeperKeeper]

Headache!

I can't wait to tell my DH that one. We had anargument about golf balls veerses my collection of egg shaped polished stones.

I just can't wait!

 

[ELOISEtheCHICKEN]

Maybe I will put curtains on my nesting boxes.

 

[Chirpy]

As already mentioned, getting a chicken to stop eating eggs once she/he starts can be very difficult. The best scenario is to collect eggs multiple times a day so they aren't as likely to ever start.

The one solution that I found that worked for my egg eating hen was to take an egg, blow out the insides (put a little tack size hole in each end, use a toothpick and poke it around in there to scramble the insides, then blow it out into a bowl - you can eat that), then carefully put a very hot type tobasco sauce inside the egg. Place that egg back into a nest box where she's been eating eggs and let her have it. It has to be the ultra hot type sauce. I went out a few hours after placing that 'spiced up' egg back in the nest box and it was broken open. I did not have another egg touched in months after that! You could keep an egg filled with hot sauce in the nest box for a week or so to see if she goes for it after the first time.

Good luck. It is so frustrating to lose your breakfast to your own chickens!

 

[ELOISEtheCHICKEN]

I have to say that is a fantastic idea ! Its funny they all use the same nesting boxes. I have five boxes. And they use one box and have one spot on top of a bale of hay that they use. And she seems to only be eating her own eggs not anyone elses eggs. But the next one she lays that I see, I will grab it and fill it with tabasco..........and see if that works. Thanks!

 

[coffeemama]

I just unknowingly bought an egg eater. I sold her at the auction because she was teaching my pullets how to do it too. I didn't want to risk having a whole flock to cull.

 

[ELOISEtheCHICKEN]

I am hoipng to nip this problem in the bud, but if she doesn't shape up.........it's going to mean "curtains" for her. She's two years old, so I don't think she'd be good meat anymore.

 

[Wynette]

I think the best way to stop it is to do what Chirpy recommends. JMO