New (to me) chickens - 1/3 egg shell in nest

[Wolf-Kim]

You did do a good thing by rescuing them. It is a common habit, you can break them of it.

-Kim

 

[mylovelyladies]

Quote:
Thank you

I've been reading up here and there seem to be quite a few who think the habit can't be broken. It's starting to feel overwhelming to be dealing with problems on day 2 as a chicken owner

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I can tell you personally that I and the lady down the street have both broken this habit before. I had two hens do it from time to time. I keep golfballs in my nests.

Don't give up on them before even trying. It's just one of those things. Some individuals it's easy to break, and then some are just as stubborn as can be.

It may just be a nutritional thing for your's. You've only had them a few days, so it may take awhile for your good food to hit their systems. Keep feeding them well, maybe even some crushed(!!) hardboiled eggs.

Give them some time and just keep trying. Give them a few weeks at least to redeem themselves.

-Kim

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Since they were previously battery hens, they are most likely to be lacking in nutrients.
As Wolf-Kim suggested, try feeding them crushed up hard-boiled eggs, shell and all.
Since you caught them in the act of eating the eggs, try to be out there if at all possible at about that same time each day.
Give them the hard-boiled eggs before the time they usually lay and maybe they will leave the fresh eggs alone.
It's worth a try, and it just might work.
Mine lay about the same time every day, so maybe you can try to be there when they lay and take the eggs as soon as they lay one.
I've had a few that would eat their eggs, but with mine, they needed more protein, so I gave them the hard-boiled eggs, and made sure they had greens to eat. Mine stopped it, but if their system needs more of something, they will start again. I just have to monitor them closer. I am now turning my layers out every day to free range and they have not eaten an egg since.

This is my question and my opinion on the subject of space.
You said you have 12 sq. ft. for the 4 hens. Is this where they stay all the time, or do they have a run also?
If they do not have a run, then they are overcrowded. I give my hens at least 4 sq. ft. per chicken in the coop and 10 sq. ft. of run space. They have access to the run 24/7 at will. If yours are cooped all the time, you really need 10 sq. ft. per chicken.

Hope this helps.
Jean

 

[mylovelyladies]

Quote:
I really don't want to give up on them, I was starting to fall in love with them and my children are completely enamored. I'm just starting to wonder if it won't be all it's cracked up to be because of their background - I want the sweet chicken moments of hand feeding and my kids carrying them around the yard.

Regarding space - the coop is intended only for keeping them safe at night. I have had them since Wednesday and have kept them in the coop after reading that I needed to do that for a couple of days in order to teach them that it's home so that they'll come back to it at night. There is also a an attached 4x10 run that I plan to let them out in tomorrow and put down some scratch and kitchen scraps. The plan is to open the door of the coop in the early am to let them out and not shut them back in until night time. In addition to that, I will let them free range whenever possible. I'm in town so I don't feel the freedom to let them range all day but I'm home with kids and we are most often around so I'll let them out whenever I can.

Perhaps I should've let them into the run already?

Thanks for the support and great advice

 

[Wolf-Kim]

You can go probably ahead and let them into the run. You do not have a huge space, so they shouldn't get lost.

Being in the coop may have "encouraged" the behavior, a combination of boredom and slight crowding. Although I'm sure they thought it was space a plenty coming from the battery system. LOL

Try darkening your nestboxes and making sure there is plenty of cushion/bedding. Darkening makes it harder to see the eggs, not quite as tempting to the birds. The cushioning helps accidental breaks, sometimes my hens will accidentally step on and break an egg, once the egg is broken it's free game.

You can also try using whole or half apples and cabbage head. Using large whole pieces of fruits of vegetables gives the birds something to do. Maybe they'll be so anxious to beat each other to the treats, that they'll forget about their eggs.

The battary hens may be a little extra work, but this is the case with most rescues. If you had gotten chicks and raised them up, there still is a chance of getting an egg-eater and that one teaching the others, but because you've raised them you're more attached to them and have quite a bit more invested into them(food, time, shelter, original cost, etc).

I think your fine, don't worry, we'll get it figured out. No worries.

-Kim

 

[mylovelyladies]

Quote:
Yes, I'm anxious to get them into the run. I can see how them being cooped up

could've encouraged their behaviour. Oops

How would I darken the nest box? Ours is built off the side of the coop with a hinged lid. As for bedding, I had put plenty of shavings in but they keep kicking them out. Yesterday after dh caught them eating the egg he shooed them out of the nest box, scooped out the egg and replaced the bedding. Would straw be better? The apple or cabbage is a great idea. Hopefully they don't fight over it too!

Thanks again for the encouragement

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Because the apples are smaller, you may want to cut them in half and put them in two or more locations. That way there isn't fighting and everyone gets some treats. They deserve it after what they've been through. The head of cabbage should be plenty big enough for everybody(you only have 3, right?) to get at it and have their fill.

Since your nest box is built in, I wouldn't worry about it just yet. We'll see if we can't solve the problem without doing that. Shavings in the nest are fine. If you still want to try and darken the nest box, get a couple pictures of your nest box so the rest of us can see what you're working with.

I bet they'll have fun in the coop today! If you do not have apples or cabbage at hand there are tons of other treats, just go the the "Feeding Time" section and I think there is a list of treats and their safety at the top of the page.

-Kim

 

[mylovelyladies]

Still no eggs this morning or mid-morning. I have a feeling RIR is sleeping in the next box due to some deposits I found there

The Barred and Columbian are hanging out on the top roost and the RIR is very tolerant of the Silkie.

Our coop is based on this design that we found here, with some minor modifications, but with the same nest box:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/images/coops/monica/honsehus7.jpg

So it's just open at floor level and come off the back of the coop.

I chopped of the bottom of a bunch of celery and gave that to them. Hopefully they enjoy it! It's interesting with battery hens because all of this is so new to them.

 

[mylovelyladies]

One egg today...