I found a rubbery empty shell - my chickens ate it!!!

[GoChick]

I was all proud of the hard shell eggs my Barred Plymouth Rock started laying until this morning, when I found an empty rubbery egg shell in the coop. Now I'm totally freaking out that one of the others laid a rubbery shell and they ate it. Which means I may have to cull the culprit? Or could it be that once whoever laid the rubbery starts laying hard shell ones they won't eat it? Has anybody seen this kind of behavior before? I can't even begin to think of having to cull one of my fuzzbutts. I did not see any one of them with yolk smeared in their beaks. Could it be that a squirrel ate it instead? I've seen a squirrel coming out of the coop some days ago, and the rubbery shell is probably 4 or 5 days old. It was pretty dried out.

 

[Zanna]

Once and a while one of my hens lay a rubber egg, it is usually one that just got laid prematurely for whatever reason. When one of my other hens goes in the nest to lay, it usually breaks and they will eat it if I don't get to it first, I think they are just cleaning the nest so they can lay. I have also caught them eating a broken egg if it is in the nest they want to lay in. None of my girls have turned into egg eaters, they just seem to be "good housekeepers". I would keep an eye on them but you will probably not need to cull. This is just my limited experience

 

[cybercat]

I would not worry about it. You will find your chickens laying those once in a while plus really large and really small eggs. It happens to everyone. Perfectly normal.

 

[GoChick]

Thanks both!! I'll just keep an eye on them!!!

 

[terrilhb]

I have had that happen. I actually caught 1 the other day eating a rubbery egg. Mine lay theirs on the ground. I tried to get it but they were quicker. But as far as the regular eggs they never bother. Good luck

 

[WhetzelMomma]

If you find that they are pecking hard shelled eggs once they are regularly laying those, put a golf ball in the nests. That's what I did, when some of my new layers started pecking at the hard shelled eggs (they went for a couple weeks laying witches eggs) Once the golf balls were in their nests, they not only encouraged my free range chickens to lay in the nests I wanted them to, but once they tested with a few pecks, they stopped pecking all together.

 

[Judy]

I find a partly eaten egg or an empty shell now and then. Evidently they can eat a raw egg now and then without turning into rabid egg eaters. I think mine sometimes have broken one out of clumsiness then eaten it.

 

[WhetzelMomma]

Quote:
I agree. ALL of my chickens have had raw egg at one time or another from a broken egg (intentional or otherwise) in the nest. None of them became eggs eaters, which a lot of people will tell you they will do. A lot of my eggs initially were broken accidentally, I think, because they were witches eggs (no shell just the membrane) or had thin shells. Then they got curious and started pecking. I don't think it was because they had developed a taste for eggs, I think they just pecked too hard, and the shells were thinner because everyone was new to laying and still developing. They stopped trying out shells once the golf balls were in place though.

 

[GoChick]

Thanks for all the replies - I feel much better now!

Since I've posted, two more of my girls started laying pretty, hard shell eggs!! and no egg eating so far!

Life is GOOD!!!

 

[GoChick]

Oh - and I followed the advice and put some golf balls in the nest, maybe this also helped!