How to stop egg-eating?

[HuffleClaw]

Hello All
I have an Ameraucana hen who is absolutely consistent with egg eating. Every day I find her pecking away in the nesting box and I have to literally pull her out

Feed is a layer feed (switching to all flock soon), cracked corn for a little extra treat, and oyster shells on the side.

I’m not sure of coop dimensions, but I really don’t think it’s too small. She also free ranges daily.

Is there anything I can do to deter this bad habit?

TIA,
Kayla

 

[Folly's place]

Upgrade the feed soonest, which might help.
Some people find that ceramic eggs in the nest, or filling some eggs with mustard can help.
Roll away nest boxes are meant to prevent this problem too.
You also could rehome this hen.
How much space, how many birds, how much free ranging time do they have?
Good luck!
Mary

 

[CaramelKittey]

I had a chicken that would eat her own and and the other chicken’s eggs a few years back. I separated her and kept her from the others so she would stop eating their eggs. I don’t know what made her stop eating the eggs however, after a few weeks, she quit eating her eggs.
We were constantly checking to see when she would lay an egg and when she did, we grabbed it before she could eat it. Eventually she gave up.
Hope this helped!

 

[HuffleClaw]

Upgrade the feed soonest, which might help.
Some people find that ceramic eggs in the nest, or filling some eggs with mustard can help.
Roll away nest boxes are meant to prevent this problem too.
You also could rehome this hen.
How much space, how many birds, how much free ranging time do they have?
Good luck!
Mary

Just got the actual size for that coop. It’s an 8’ x 10’ and there are 3 birds in that particular coop. They free range from about 12pm - 6pm.

 

[CaramelKittey]

Upgrade the feed soonest, which might help.
Some people find that ceramic eggs in the nest, or filling some eggs with mustard can help.
Roll away nest boxes are meant to prevent this problem too.
You also could rehome this hen.
How much space, how many birds, how much free ranging time do they have?
Good luck!
Mary

I’ve never heard of filling ceramic eggs with mustard! What a great idea! I wish I had known that a few years ago!

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

We use golf balls in the nesting boxes. We find them on our property a lot (Im guessing from the previous owner) so they were free. We're too cheap to buy the ceramic eggs

 

[HuffleClaw]

We use golf balls in the nesting boxes. We find them on our property a lot (Im guessing from the previous owner) so they were free. We're too cheap to buy the ceramic eggs

Sounds great! We have plenty of golf balls as well Thank you for the idea!

 

[aart]

I’ve never heard of filling ceramic eggs with mustard!

No....
The ceramic eggs are for non-edible 'bait'.
Regular egg shells are blown out and filled with mustard.

 

[Fairview01]

The easiest, fastest way with minimal headache is too send her to camp Kenmore. Eating eggs is a learned behavior. Could be picked up by other hens also when they join in.

 

[HuffleClaw]

The easiest, fastest way with minimal headache is too send her to camp Kenmore. Eating eggs is a learned behavior. Could be picked up by other hens also when they join in.

I am not going to kill her! I’m going to try the mustard thing today...