How to catch an egg eater?

[corliss]

I just went through a session where my chickens were eating eggs and I tried everything that was written on BYC to stop the problem. It was extremely frustrating because nothing I did made a difference and I kept coming out to broken and mostly eaten eggs. What seems to have turned the tide for my chickens was providing ceramic eggs from the McMurray hatchery. They sell a dozen for about $12 in either all brown or all white and, unlike plastic easter eggs or golf balls, they really look like eggs. I believe my one major culprit got discouraged after pecking them a number of times with no result. They look so real that I actually collected one this week and didn't discover it was fake until the next day. It is such a relief to have finally beaten this problem without having to dispatch any of our hens or rebuild the nest boxes with roll away inserts. You might give this a try and see if it works for you - good luck!

 

[HEChicken]

Well, yesterday we removed 4 hens and the roo.

The roo would open the eggs and call the hens to feed.

If the roo was the one opening the eggs, perhaps it would have been just as successful to remove only the roo and leave the hens? Without the roo to open the eggs for them, they might never have picked up the habit and you would still have them as layers.

 

[ChicKat]

I agree that ceramic eggs may be helpful to you.

Follow the plan presented by fire tiger of isolating the chickens to see who is the egg eater, and place that one in a location with ceramic egg(s) in the nest box. when she discovers that she cannot break the egg, then maybe she will drop the habit and you will still have your layer to feed your family with her egg production back on track..

Soft shells can be broken by a subsequent hen using the nest box. Layer ration, available oyster shells, and breaking up the shells from the eggs you use and feeding them back to the chickens. (dried and crushed...zap in the microwave to get rid of any bacteria that could be on the shells if you wish) -- are all helpful to strong shells.

It helps the hen's body absorb calcium if they have some apple cider vinegar in their water (1 TBSP to 1 Gallon of water in the USA--not sure of the metric equivalent) and plenty of vitamin D3--- the 'sunshine vitamins-- will help them with calcium absorbtion and shell production--

Good luck with getting everything back on track.

 

[FireTigeris]

Hey now that you mention it I have more problems with prolonged gray days... interesting...

 

[marlene]

I will try putting some sort of false eggs in the nest boxes and see if it helps.
I have been giving the girls the used egg shells to eat, microwaved and smashed up. They also have oyster shell available at all times.
The times i have found the eggs eaten always seems to be 1st thing in the morning when i let them out. On the days they lay later, they never touch the eggs.
It is always the same egg which is white, i only have 2 hens that lay the white eggs. I am thinking that maybe they are laying early, before i let them out and getting bored so she eats the egg.

 

[ChicKat]

I will try putting some sort of false eggs in the nest boxes and see if it helps.
I have been giving the girls the used egg shells to eat, microwaved and smashed up. They also have oyster shell available at all times.
The times i have found the eggs eaten always seems to be 1st thing in the morning when i let them out. On the days they lay later, they never touch the eggs.
It is always the same egg which is white, i only have 2 hens that lay the white eggs. I am thinking that maybe they are laying early, before i let them out and getting bored so she eats the egg.

That might be..... they may be bored as you say, the egg is there, and they are hungry first thing in the morning. A crime of opportunity. Good luck with it.

 

[FireTigeris]

another thing black out the chicken coop (if there are windows or other things that let in light,
or
close it after dark if possible and safe open it before down if possible and safe for a few days

they don't see well in the dark and should remain at rest.

 

[Coldspringchicken]

If your going to kill the bird you have to eat it. Its only natural