My Free Range Chickens Are Eating The Eggs. What Can I Do? Help!

[peach2727]

I Have 200 Free Range Chickens And I Am Now Seeing Eggs Being Eaten.

What Can I Do To Alleviate This Problem?

Thank You For All The Help.

 

[HEChicken]

I'm a little concerned I have a similar problem. May I ask what signs you are seeing that the eggs are being eaten? In other words, do they crack them open and eat the egg but leave the shell, or do the eggs just disappear entirely?

 

[chickeydee]

There are alot of things it could be you should check them out Are you sure it is the chickens? Are you feeding them pellets ,maybe they need more protein . are any of them in molt. . Good luck ! I would love to see what it is .

 

[gsim]

Confine them to run and coop. Build roll-away nests boxes that allow eggs to roll to where the chooks cannot see or get them. I doubt they can be trained to not like them. I have heard of people cutting small holes in shells, draining eggs, and then using things like liquid soap to refill and then melt candle wax over the holes to seal them. This has worked for curing dogs of eating eggs, but I have doubts it would work for chooks.

 

[cybercat]

Quote:
What are you calling free range? I can not imagine true free ranging 200 chickens that would make a naked property. Are these in tractors? What chicken breed are they?

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Ours were eating all their eggs as well, and we solved the issue overnight, by giving them free choice of Oyster shell.
They were deficient in calcium.
I trust you have several acres that these 200 chickens have to roam on?

 

[chicktwit]

I definitely agree. Oyster shell is probably what they need. Are shells coming up thin, breaking easily?

 

[peach2727]

We Have 20 Acres Here. They Roam As They Please And Go Back Into Their Coop At Night.

No Predators Here In Ecuador To Worry About So Far.

 

[HEChicken]

How do you know they are eating the eggs? Perhaps they just have hidden nests somewhere?