I have an egg eater and I don't want to cull *help*

[ScotianChick]

So... I was so pleased with BB when I finally got her healthy, happy and functioning with the flock. I put a lot of love, time and effort into getting that runt healthy. She recently started laying, not steady but still, I was so happy! Then I saw her on the nest box for the second time. I excitedly waited for her to leave and came out to collect the egg. It was broken... I figured, she just laid it too high and it broke! So I scooped it up and chucked it out. Today there was one completely crushed with most of the yoke missing. I promptly went out, caught her, separated her and introduced a mustard egg. She immediately started pecking the egg so I knew it was her... it hasn't broken yet but I sure hope it does soon. She must have been laying some thin shelled ones (she doesn't pay much attention to the oyster shells I leave for them), they broke and she ate them. It's only a matter of time before this gets worse right?

Has anyone ever broke a chicken of this? I can't imagine eating her or culling her. It would break my heart after all the love I gave this one. Why did it have to be this one?!

 

[Higins00]

put golf balls in the nests and when she can't break them she will give it up. Try to collect the real eggs several times during the day so she won't get any.

 

[ScotianChick]

Wouldn't she realize she can eat her own egg though?

 

[Imp]

Quote:
This, and/or stone,ceramic,wooden eggs. Some people also darken the coop/nests to decrease pecking even to the point of hanging curtains in front of the nests. Besides mustard you can try horseradish or liquid soap in blown out eggs. I had success by rearranging the coop, to shake things up.

Good luck,

Imp

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

peepers work sometime, if they can't see the egg they can't peck at it

 

[ScotianChick]

She just ate half of the mustard egg... Mostly going for the egg shell. Don't know what that says about any of this... Oh man...

 

[ScotianChick]

Okay... she likes mustard... wow. I gave her real food, she ate some real food, ate some mustard, ate some real food, ate some mustard. Wow.

 

[Kansaseq]

You might want to separate her from the rest of the flock until you have this worked out. I've heard of others in the flock picking up the habit...........

 

[jnkir7]

i had one eating her eggs ,i just got rough with her told her no, after a few times she quit dont know if that had anything to do with ,it she may have just quit on her on, but she did quit eating eggs. janie

 

[bjw113]

I tried the mustard eggs too and with the same result. We bought the ceramic eggs, made sure there was lots of oyster shell for them to eat, and my husband built me a roll-a-way egg nesting box. Between these, we are having a little more success. Today I got 10 eggs (from my 23 girls), yesterday I got 9, so I feel a little better about all this. Unfortunately, I have a hen-Ginger-who sounds like yours. We have had to separate her months ago as my now-deceased rooster attacked her and tore the back of her head open. She is eating her eggs too, so she's gonna be out of a home here real shortly. I hate it too, but I'm not going to feed and shelter this bird, for her to eat what makes her valuable to me. I am going to try several ceramic eggs in her pen for the next week and hope for the best. Good luck! I've heard chickens love pepper too, as a matter of fact, know lots of people who feed it to their chickens to get them to lay after they've been in a moult for awhile (??). Best wishes to you!