I have an egg eater.

[jolenesdad]

As @aart suggested I find 95% of the time in my situation they’ve always just been opportunistic egg eaters. Either the egg is soft or gets cracked when it is laid. I put sand in my boxes so that no matter what there are not rough surfaces to crack them first.

if she isn’t laying, she may be close to lay, and just really checking out what’s happening in the boxes. I don’t have egg eaters per se, but I have about 20 hens that will ATTACK cracked egg. They don’t go after normal eggs in the boxes, so I just drop cracked ones I find right in the coop for them to eat.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

This might help: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/six-tips-on-breaking-your-egg-eater.63022/

 

[TwoCrows]

My flock used to be a bunch of egg eaters, one of the hens just couldn't put a shell on for the life of her. So of course the flock learned that brunch was being served everytime this hen went in to lay.

I did a few things to remedy this bad habit. First, keep fake eggs in the nest boxes at all times. At first the egg eaters will rush in to eat them and find that most eggs are impenetrable. After playing with them, the birds become discouraged.

Next, curtains. Hang curtains over the front of the boxes, leaving just a slit in the middle for the hen to slip in. This does a few things...it stops hens on the outside from cruising for eggs, it keeps the inside of the box dark so the hen laying them doesn't start eating her own egg and the darken box creates a peaceful relaxing place for the hens.

Collect eggs VERY often during the beginnings of this process. You only want to leave those fake eggs around at first so the birds learn to give up on this bad habit.

I don't remember the exact time frame it took to stop the egg eating, but a couple weeks later, eggs were not being dined on ever again, even THOUGH the original hen still laid only a yolk.

 

[aart]

My flock used to be a bunch of egg eaters, one of the hens just couldn't put a shell on for the life of her. So of course the flock learned that brunch was being served everytime this hen went in to lay.

That's the worst! BTDT...not sure curtains would dissuade that obsession.
Finally got rid of the 'weak shell' hen as no addition of extra calcium fixed the issue.

 

[Manhen]

I have met the egg-eaters, and we are they.

 

[Gray Farms]

Take a couple eggs and pick a very small hole in each end and blow them out. Take sirenge and fill each egg with plain yellow mustard. Put the eggs back in the nest box. It works the first time, every time for me.

 

[Manhen]

I pick up any recalcitrant chicken, hold it up at eye level (watch out) and say "I am a-gonna eat you!". I get the one-eyed stare and they behave. It works. Really.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

No, aart, lacking space and insufficient diet are not my birds` problems.
As usually, being a weird human attracts weird critters, maybe?

I had one egg eater and she was...you guessed it...weird.
But honestly, everyone else around me is too. Both humans and non-humans.
My egg eater, a 9-year old little hen, crossed over last summer. We all miss her.
By the way, I don`t give a rat`s derriere about eggs, my chickens are wonderful companions and friends.
While eggs are a special gift, I do not demand or expect them.
It costs the hens too much in terms of their health.
I do not want anyone to die for eggs!
I rather have the birds around.


But back to the egg eater. She ate 2-3 eggs a year for the four years she lived with us. She never ate her own eggs and the few she cracked open and ate the contents of were her sister`s of the same age. She ignored the other hens`eggs plus her own the rest of the time.
I always let my hens have first pick of their eggs before I take them. Contrary to most human peoples` ideas, birds are smart and chickens are birds. Duh.
My little egg eater knew what she was doing and why. I did not.
She knew I hated eggs opened inside the coop because of the mess it made for me to clean up.
Eat them outside, for Pete`s [whoever he is] sake!
Last egg eaten was last year in June. I caught the mischievous hen INSIDE the coop where she had cracked her sister`s egg.
When she saw me approaching, she poked her lower mandible into the egg, and while watching me and looking guilty, she carried the egg in that droll way out of the coop next to the front room entrance [easy to clean up there] where she put it down and ate the contents.
Yuck! Raw eggs are NOT my thing.
The chickens eat eggs either scrambled or hard boiled most of the time.

These little chickens are fascinating and I live with them through lots of adventures.
Have learned to observe them and take most of my clues from the birds themselves.
Not knocking books and other written info. but I do think that there are times when actually learning from living with creatures, same as with humans, is the best course of action.....

How do you know they are eating the sisters eggs...my chickens use mostly one nest..despite having 8. We were thinking of making more now that we have more pullets..but what’s the point if they all use one spot?? How do they carry them around? I’ve seen them roll them..not carry. My egg eater only eats an egg every once a month or so...I put rocks in to deter...but she eats every bit of the shell. They have oyster shell constantly..in fact, their shell are super hard to break....any tips for my mystery egg eater? I don’t really get to watch like you do, as I have a full farm which demands my full attention.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

As @aart suggested I find 95% of the time in my situation they’ve always just been opportunistic egg eaters. Either the egg is soft or gets cracked when it is laid. I put sand in my boxes so that no matter what there are not rough surfaces to crack them first.

if she isn’t laying, she may be close to lay, and just really checking out what’s happening in the boxes. I don’t have egg eaters per se, but I have about 20 hens that will ATTACK cracked egg. They don’t go after normal eggs in the boxes, so I just drop cracked ones I find right in the coop for them to eat.

But, if it looks in the shape of an egg..why won’t they just think it’s ok to eat the ones in the nests?

 

[Manhen]

How do you know they are eating the sisters eggs...my chickens use mostly one nest..despite having 8. We were thinking of making more now that we have more pullets..but what’s the point if they all use one spot?? How do they carry them around? I’ve seen them roll them..not carry. My egg eater only eats an egg every once a month or so...I put rocks in to deter...but she eats every bit of the shell. They have oyster shell constantly..in fact, their shell are super hard to break....any tips for my mystery egg eater? I don’t really get to watch like you do, as I have a full farm which demands my full attention.

It is posited that even though you need one nest for 4 birds, they will all like one. If you have one nest, they will lay on the ground. Pthaw. They can carry them under their wing. Be careful picking them up from a next, they will drop the egg.