My Chickens Like Mustard Filled Eggs

[aart]

I thought it was fine because people put blukote on feet so chickens leave other feet alone, so if you put some blukote on the egg, then maybe they will leave it alone.

Blukote is an antiseptic for wounds.
The blue color is supposed to camoflague the red blood to keep other birds from pecking at it(which often doesn't really work and can actually attract pecking).
So, no, I seriously doubt it would deter egg eating.

I'll repeat:

How often?
Are the eggs they eat hard or soft/weak shelled?

Figure out why/when they are eating eggs then we can come up with a solution.

 

[FeatherTay]

Blukote is an antiseptic for wounds.
The blue color is supposed to camoflague the red blood to keep other birds from pecking at it(which often doesn't really work and can actually attract pecking).
So, no, I seriously doubt it would deter egg eating.

I'll repeat:

That makes sense, thank you for the explanation!

 

[Let There Be Light]

What?!


How often?
Are the eggs they eat hard or soft/weak shelled?

Figure out why/when they are eating eggs then we can come up with a solution.

I can't say exactly when they eat them, but I'd say maybe a few times a week. They're normal eggs, too, not soft or weak shelled.

 

[aart]

I can't say exactly when they eat them, but I'd say maybe a few times a week. They're normal eggs, too, not soft or weak shelled.

I'd just gather as often as possible and replace gathered eggs with fakies.

If it's been going on for a long time, might not be able to break the habit.
Sometimes a diet change can help.
What all and how exactly are you feeding?

 

[nuthatched]

Try using soap, not mustard. Do they need higher protein feed.

 

[chickmamato7]

Mine went through a phase of egg eating, but we got through it and it has completely stopped. I think there were several things that caused the problem behavior. My daughter got sloppy with egg collecting in the afternoon and she also took out the fake eggs that she kept mistaking for real ones. We also had an on and off broody hen that was always scratching in the nest box. Didn't take long for an egg or two to crack and for the others to join in on the unexpected snack. It was a big problem for about 3 weeks, because I didn't notice what was happening right away until the eggs started coming in pecked, cracked and dirty.

I did several things to solve the problem. I switched back to grower feed to increase protein and added more calcium feeders to strengthen the shells. I also cleaned all of the nest boxes to remove any trace of yolk and removed all nesting material so there was nothing to scratch at. Then I bought some porcelain eggs, which are less fun to pack at and also more obviously fake when held in the hand. After a few weeks of barren nest boxes, I bought plastic nest pads that discourage scratching. I added a light sprinkle of hay to make them more comfortable, but not enough to invite scratching. We now collect eggs morning, noon and night and the egg eating has completely stopped.

 

[Let There Be Light]

I'd just gather as often as possible and replace gathered eggs with fakies.

If it's been going on for a long time, might not be able to break the habit.
Sometimes a diet change can help.
What all and how exactly are you feeding?

I think they started eating eggs sometime this year.
We feed them an all-flock because we also have guineas.

 

[Let There Be Light]

Try using soap, not mustard. Do they need higher protein feed.

Thanks! I'm going to try soap.
I think they're good on protein!

 

[aart]

I think they started eating eggs sometime this year.
We feed them an all-flock because we also have guineas.

Might the guineas be the egg eaters?
I've read they can be aggressive and territorial.
How many birds and are they confined.....could crowding be an issue?

 

[Let There Be Light]

Might the guineas be the egg eaters?
I've read they can be aggressive and territorial.
How many birds and are they confined.....could crowding be an issue?

I've seen guineas peck the eggs occasionally if one of the chickens lay eggs on the ground in the coop, but not often. It's mostly the chickens themselves.
They are all free range.
Edit: 8 chickens and 3 guineas.