New hens eating their own eggs - advice?

[16happyhens]

I acquired 5 RIR hens and 1 RIR rooster from a lady whose coop was not winterized. I brought them home last night and put them in a seperate pen than my 12 other hens and 1 rooster. This morning, I noticed one of the new hens laid an egg and immediately the other hens ran over and ate it. Is this normal for chickens to do under stress? I called the lady I got them from and she said they had never done this before. What can I do to stop them from eating their eggs? Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[poulet_passion]

I had my chickens pecking at their eggs, before I built them their nesting box. Since they've gotten a good place to lay their egg there has been no egg pecking at all.
I think a good nest box that has a small opening (9" wide X 6" high) with a small cave like feel to the inside (12" X 12" X 9" high) helps keep the chickens feeling secure and warm while they are laying their egg. Also the other chickens do not have the room they need to get in there and peck at the egg.

 

[dogdollar]

I had been getting pretty lazy about the prospect of adding my nestboxes UNTIL the day I saw my hens gathered up in a circle, eating an egg someone had layed in the coop. I put the nestboxes in two days later and haven't had a single incident since.
DD

 

[can you hear me now?]

this is just in my experience, but I bought some chickens from a guy down the road, and the white leghorn 8 is egg after it laid it. it didn't eat eggs after it got used to its pen. sounds to me like is just stress. cant say for sure just in my experience.

 

[sharron]

i've heard that once they start eating the eggs they won't stop, i have a bcm that is eating eggs, caught her last evening, caught her out and put her into another chicken coop, will see if i got the right hen, if i did, she will end up being chicken and dumplings
sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

 

[dogdollar]

Quote:
I heard that, too, which is why I panicked and got my butt in gear on the nest boxes, but they haven't eaten another one since.

I have also heard of people putting fake eggs in to give the girls the idea that they aren't for eating, and of people blowing out eggs and filling them with a little mustard (which chickens HATE) to turn them off to the idea.

DD

 

[can you hear me now?]

it's not that they won't ever stop, it's just very hard to get them to stop. I personally have never have a problem, I just say to give it time to wait. hopefully the problem will resolve itself by them being used to their pen.

 

[sharron]

i have a ten hole nestbox, and the hens all seem to want to lay in the same box, either that or two boxes, my sister had gathered all the eggs into one nest, turned around to do something and one of the hens jumped into the box and broke and ate an egg, she came to me madder than a wet setting hen about this hen breaking and eating the egg,(this isn't the first time, egg production has been going down) and a friend who raises lots of chickens, ducks and geese told me that i would have to get rid of her once i discovered which hen it was, when i asked him how, he said the one with the egg on the beak lol, and the one i caught out had stuff on her beak that smelled like egg yoke, BUT to be safe, i did put her into another coop, would hate to eat one that wasn't guilty, not happy about having to have her for supper, her being the supper, but i can't have her eating the eggs either, these are the bcm's and lay such beautiful dark eggs.

 

[floridaquilter]

Just had to bump this up.
I have a nice big coop with a row of 8 nesting boxes. (a foot square) straw in the boxes. I now have a hen that lays me an egg everyday. First day it was broke..ok..she is new at this...three days in a row she laid me a wonderful little brown egg but for the past three days the egg is broke so I am assuming I have an egg eater. I have 13 hens. only the one is laying. I am thinking about guessing which hen is doing the laying and put her in a smaller pen by herself to find out if she is doing this herself.
I did have a plywood cover over the nesting boxes but removed it about 4 days ago.perhaps she is mad because of the change??
I plan on going out and cleaning off the plywood and replacing it to see if this clears up the problem.

 

[can you hear me now?]

I know the boxes are lined with straw but I had one or two birds that would drop their eggs form a distance and they would crack. I would be willing to bet this is.what is happening with yours as well. Might want to make.sure first.