My hen won't stop eating eggs!

[ChewBokBok]

I have a 1 and a half year old White Leghorn that has taken to eating eggs! I witnessed her a few weeks ago covered in egg yolk just starting the eat it, I also saw before hand that the egg had no major cracks and seemed to be completely intact. After that I put her in a rabbit cage so she would be away from the other eggs she had hay and extra oyster shells in her food, i also gave her an egg with mustard and later put wood eggs and more eggs with mustard in the nesting boxes, the eggs with mustard disappeared shell and all. What should i use in the nesting boxes? Before i had hay in there but it seemed to slide around and bash the eggs against the walls of the nesting boxes, so i switched to shavings which isn't ideal because the shavings fall out and it isn't the best protection from the bottom but i don't know what else i could use. She also has Bumblefoot. It is quite swollen, but it doesn't seem to really bother her. Earlier i posted a thread explaining it. Some replies were to remove it with tweezers and if that didn't work to do surgery. I removed it with tweezers, but it didn't really seem to work. I thought about doing the surgery, but it seemed to much for a chicken who already had in infection, especially since i had no idea what i was doing and couldn't bring a vet out. I heard that honey and essential oils may work. If so, which ones and how would i use them? Should i rap it up? I only want to think about surgery when i have exhausted all my other options. Do you think that Bumblefoot somehow could be the cause?
Thanks.

 

[LaFleche]

You need a roll out nest box where the hen will not get the chance to eat the egg because it rolls off and out of reach as soon as it is laid.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=roll+outnest+box&t=newext&iax=images&ia=images

Bumblefoot is not the cause of egg eating.

What exactly do you feed her? She might be in need of a higher protein feed, such as 18-20% as WL are very productive layers and need a lot of energy.

 

[ChewBokBok]

I think she gets 16% is there something i could add to her food to give it higher protein? Although all the times i have seen her eat the eggs she will jump down the roosting bars into the nesting box and start going after the egg.

 

[LaFleche]

I think she gets 16% is there something i could add to her food to give it higher protein? Although all the times i have seen her eat the eggs she will jump down the roosting bars into the nesting box and start going after the egg.

16% is not enough for a high production bird such as White Leghorn. You could switch her feed to 20% all flock or grower and provide oyster shell and grit separately.

 

[3KillerBs]

The egg-eating habit can be contagious since chickens often imitate each other. For this reason people often cull egg-eaters.

 

[LaFleche]

I think she gets 16% is there something i could add to her food to give it higher protein? Although all the times i have seen her eat the eggs she will jump down the roosting bars into the nesting box and start going after the egg.

This sounds as if she is not only eating her own eggs but goes after other hens' eggs as well?

 

[3KillerBs]

This sounds as if she is not only eating her own eggs but goes after other hens' eggs as well?

And if she is doing that I'd definitely consider the merits of a pot of chicken and dumplings.

 

[LaFleche]

And if she is doing that I'd definitely consider the merits of a pot of chicken and dumplings.

I love chicken soup too! But installing roll out nest boxes will immediately stop the issue, so the egg eaters can live on.

 

[ChewBokBok]

Thank you. I will give her oyster shells and grit separetly seen as we can't get 20% at the same place we get it from now. If that doesn't work i will probably try roll out nesting boxes. I might have to cull her if that doesn't work but would like to solve this so i don't get the same problem with others.

 

[LaFleche]

When changing their diet, always do it over a period of at least 7-10 days, each day adding a bit more of the new feed. In doing so, you prevent problems with their digestive tracts and featherloss (molting).

Good luck with the egg eating issue!