my hen is breaking her eggs!!!!

[Iancurrannacearca]

I am new at keeping hens and 1 of them breaks its egg once its laid.
Is there any way of preveting it?

 

[sara]

You might have to try some type of roll away nest box. Once they start it's pretty hard to change the behavior.

 

[mrsengeseth]

as soon as you can get some wooden or ceramic eggs, a few times of the "OW!" of pecking on one of those, maybe she'll give up?

 

[Iancurrannacearca]

good idea!
I am getting more pullets soon, will they take after her and do the same?

 

[blueskylen]

I've had my chickens since last April and they have been great girls, but all of a sudden they started breaking and eating the eggs last week. I had separated the 2 that I thought were responsible, but I am still getting fewer and fewer eggs. I think that the other ones have picked up the habit.
I don't know whether it is their diet, or just boredom, but I am going to have to build some roll away nest boxes, and hope that takes care of the problem. I have always had golf balls in the boxes, and they have plenty of other food and treats-
the rotten ingrates!! it almost makes me want to just get rid of them all! - if the roll away boxes don't work, I guess that is what I'll have to do.

 

[Iancurrannacearca]

I feel the same way as you!! lol.

 

[ranchhand]

That's so weird, I have never had a hen intentionally break an egg. Usually, there isn't enough bedding in the nest box, so the egg cracks or breaks when it drops. I put some foam under the straw and the eggs were ok after that. I hose off the foam regularly.
If an egg does break, from chickens playing football, fighting over a box or dropping it too far, they will eat it, everytime.
Also, are you keeping the feed available all the time, 24/7? That can cause the problem, too.

Good luck! and

!

 

[ranchhand]

Oh shoot, I just remembered something else!

I kept finding shell pieces in my nest boxes- thought it was the hens. It wasn't. A yellow rat snake was helping himself daily to the eggs, and regurgitating the shells! So, another possibility.

 

[Iancurrannacearca]

Thanks for the tips!!
But this hen just smashes it with her beak!!!
And they get fed 3 times a day.

 

[smith2]

I culled two of mine that I could not make stop eating. The other suspects got isolated and cold water dips 3 times a day (advice of an old woman around here). Suppose to stop egg eating and setting. Worked for mine. I keep food available all the time and grains, grass, cabbage, etc, for them to scratch in all the time.