how do you stop hens from breaking eggs

[chickenguy97]

i have a flock of hens that should lay 20 eggs a day. when i pick eggs there is only 5-7 eggs. they are breaking the eggs because the nestbox is wet.how do you stop them from breaking eggs?

 

[Picco]

It sounds like you need more nest boxes. Sometimes even if you have enough they really favor certain locations. Try to make a few more nests in seemingly favorite spots so that they won't fight over one and break the eggs.

 

[chickenchickenbulkbulk]

I just had a problem with my leghorns..they was eating the eggs as fast as the eggs were being laid. They almost became yellow leghorns instead of white leghorns form eating some many eggs. They were covered in yoke. I started giving them oyster shells. They quit eating the eggs. They even free range so I thought they were getting enough grit in there diet. I was wrong they also needed oyster shells. Make sure to clean out the egg yoke and keep plenty of straw in the nest. I hope this fixes your problem. DJ I forgot something else..I put some fake eggs in the nest. Put one or two in each nest. This will discourage them from pecking on them. Make sure you mark them so you'll know which ones they are. I didn't and I incubated one!!! They look and feel to real. DJ

 

[simrnz]

Very simple to cure, get yourself an egg, put a small hold in either end and blow out all the contents, leaving just the shell. Wash this out a few time and leave to dry.

After it has dried, get a syringe and fill it up with mustard, and fill the egg with it, so you have a "mustard egg" (make a few). Place this egg in the nest box where they lay. You egg eating hen will see this and start to peck at it, when it tastes the mustard it will stop. Repeat this for a week, and your hen will never peck eggs again.

 

[chickenchickenbulkbulk]

HAVE YOU DONE THIS OR JUST READ ABOUT IT? dj

 

[chickenguy97]

i tried the mustard and it worked
thanks for the ideas