Looks like I'm up to 2 egg eaters, urrrggg

[Shellyb]

So on my days off I enjoy getting up before everyone else to spend time watching my chickens trying to figure out who's laying what. I have 6 that are old enough to lay and I've gotten 3 eggs twice now. So when I saw one of the girls I didn't know was laying I was excited. She layed while me and another chicken (my first one to lay) was watching. It seemed that the other chicken was blocking her way out of the nest but to my horror (yet again) she went and pecked right into the egg which did have another soft shell like what's been happening to my other new layer. I pushed her (lightly) away from the box and moved the other one so I could clean it up before they both started dining in. I'm just so aggrivated. I thought this would be easier. I can tell my first one already had her breakfast this morning in the corner of the coop floor because of the shavings, well I hope it was her and not someone new. Any advise would be appreciated as I can't be there everyday to stop this.

 

[chookchick]

I had the same problem recently. Four of my hens were new layers and very young too. I was transitioning them from grower to layer food and I let the oystershell run out for a few days. Eggs started to disappear. Since then I make sure the oyster shell was always full, added protein treats to their diet (mostly washed cottage cheese), put a drape over the nest box and kept a close eye on them. I don't believe I have had any problems since, as I get 4-5 eggs a day out of 5 layers. I do have one hen that looks for eggs like crazy, always hopping in and out of the nestbox, but I've never seen her go after a strong-shelled egg.

BTW--the mustard egg trick didn't work at all (they still ate the shell) and was a mess, not recommended!

 

[Wynette]

Here are some ideas:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=235467

 

[Ga Chicken Mom]

Golf balls in the nesting boxes.

 

[Shellyb]

I have them on layer pellets and have put oyster shell out for them, haven't seen anyone really go into the oyster shell. Plus today I saw all of them scratching around in their shavings looking for food whena full bucket of pellets was right there. Hoping to peak their interest I moved the pellets around trying to show them it was there, a couple of them tried it but lost interest and went back to scratching. Before this bucket of all layer I had mixed growing crumbles and pellets for the last two buckets. Think they'll get used to the pellets soon? I watched my original egg eater in the nest box late in the day and she would stand up and look under her a few times in anticipation of the egg but she didn't lay. From what I can tell, she didn't lay today unless that was hers in the corner of the coop this morning and she was trying to lay again tonight. They don't seem to bother the other eggs from other hens and I do try to collect them as often as possible but they start laying after I get off work and my DH forgets to go out and check.