Need guidelines with egg eaters

I'm in some kind of chicken disaster right now and I am wondering what the best path to take is. I've got 10 pullets, at least some of whom are laying now (a mixed bag of birds courtesy of MM brown egg layer assortment). One rooster who is older and mostly wanders about and snuggles with the gals at night. When we first started getting eggs we found the roo and a RIR eating a frozen egg once. It was very frozen and looked like it had burst when expanding. I wasn't worried and figured they ate it because it was open.

In the last two days I have had three eggs eaten. The culprits seem obvious because the yellow really sticks out on their white feathers. They seem to be very aggressively eating eggs, sitting by the next boxes, following others in. Today I was going out every 30-45 minutes and they managed to get in and eat the one egg of the day during one of those intervals. I can't be certain no one else is eating them but they are the only obvious ones. The roo has no yolk on him at all, so he doesn't seem to be a problem.

My question is whether I should try all of the tricks in the various posts on egg eating or whether keeping them with the others and trying to change things is just going to allow them to teach everyone to eat eggs. I am very worried about ending up with a whole flock that eats up everything. My son loves these two hens and has been in tears all morning. If I thought that it would be some work but I had a good chance of succeeding then I would try it all. If I am likely to end up with 10 hens eating each others eggs then I can't keep them.

They are all healthy, definitely not overcrowded, eat layer mash and some scratch here and there and regular goodies. They had been on layer pellets but they were very unenthusiastic about the form so I just switched to the mash.

Give me the good, bad or ugly. I just need to know what direction to go. And if anyone wants to tell me that this isn't because I am a terrible chicken keeper I would be willing to hear that as well (let's just say my son isn't the only teary one).

Thanks.

 

Have I ever said that I think this is the best place ever? One of the few places I have found where everyone seems to just be supportive and caring around chicken life.

I was coming back to say that I had had them in a carrier together because I had run out of ideas earlier and went out to find an egg in there with the two of them. So maybe not quite as egg crazy as I thought they were.

I think that I will try some changes, and most likely the nasty egg surprise and see how things go. I have had some nesting woes, mostly with gals wanting to lay their eggs in funny places that have led to hard to find and sometimes broken eggs. I read somewhere (here?) about using rubbermaid containers with chicken size holes in the sides for boxes and I think I may try that and see if I can get them consistently using more than one box and only boxes.

Is there some variation with feed? I have been using organic and they just don't act very happy to see it. I switched from pellets because I felt like I had made a mistake with offering scratch at all as their interest in the pellets decreased. I thought that mash might be more palatable. I will try to give them more protein and calcium options and see if that helps. The two causing trouble are among my three biggest birds. I wonder if they just are needing much more than what they have been getting.

And in the meantime I think I may just send them out during the morning hours. The problem is that I have only one fenced area and 20" of snow on the ground. I have the little chick run but it wouldn't give them a place to keep their feet warm during the day.

Thank you all so much. And yes, I'm a chicken mama.

 

Hi BH! I was worried about posting because I knew you would worry it was Mr Chicken. I'll admit to giving him a thorough once-over but he has a spotless head and neck. He is just really mad at me sending him out in the cold to keep an eye on the others today.

So, do they normally eat the whole shell, as in every last speck? I've only known what they were up to because of the big wet spots in the nest box and the yolk on their heads. I'm wondering now whether a) they have really needed the calcium (as halvey suggested) and b) whether maybe the shells are weak and are breaking and then getting eaten. One egg I just found smears of yolk all over the shavings bag that they keep trying to nest on, with accompanying eggs rolloing off. Two were in a next box that my rather insane RIR likes to completely empty of shavings before laying her egg. If only I had a little camera to keep track of what goes on in there...