NY chicken lover!!!!

[Lynzi777]

Maybe they are going to moult?

I believe my buff orpington is, but the others are showing no signs of molting. This has been going for weeks now. Stella's chicks are going to be 5wks this Friday, she hasn't laid an egg since hatching those chicks. The BR and Buff Orp were showing signs of going broody but I kept them from doing so. They've been out free ranging since - again that was at least 2 wks ago! And the silkie hens? Well lets just say I'll be seeing eggs from lavenders before I get an egg from those two! LOL

 

[JLaw]

Ok is there anything you can do about egg eaters? I already have one I think. I went to check eggs and found another broken one this one was in the nest box and shell was softer but not totally soft. It was coverd in egg and looked like one spot was poked. When I went out there, there was a red sitting on edge of nest box faceing in then went in and turned around and came out. I think I caught it in the act but I couldn't find egg on any of the hens faces as I let them past me. My only idea is to rotate one red every other day in with my light Sussex and see who starts eating her eggs. She is still locked up letting her leg heal up more before moveing and she lays just about every day now. So if I find her egg broken or an eaten brown egg I found my eating red. But is there anything I can do about her besides cull her?

thanks

jlaw

 

[JLaw]

Update already. I think I know who the egg eater is. I was out there and one was inside the nest box. I went inside and made another box hopeing it was just crowding. when I went back out no egg in the box the chicken was in. as i'm working one comes into the coop gets in the box and starts digging around. I added more hay and though maybe she's looking for something in it. well I get the other nest box installed put hay in it put her in it and she pecks at the back. I sit there for a bit then she gets in the other nest box where they been laying and starts pokeing around in back of box where they eggs are then starts poking the plastic egg so I marked her with blue kote. Now to find out how to break a chicken from eating eggs.

So far from googleing I've seen golf balls left in box. collect eggs all day. Use a tac to break an egg hole, empty the egg, then fill with mustard. One said line bottom of box with plastic looks like they used astro turf or something.

really don't want to cull one of my reds already when they are just starting to lay.

jlaw

 

[Pyxis]

Not that I don't use it , I do on my squash, but please read the label.   Even DE, and all grits have a warning against breathing the stuff. They contain Silica which is bad for your lungs.  Wear a mask. 

This is a very good point. I've only ever used it on my birds, not on my garden. I guess even though you could technically ingest a little, you really don't want it in your lungs!

 

[SunnysideupstateNY]

Update already. I think I know who the egg eater is. I was out there and one was inside the nest box. I went inside and made another box hopeing it was just crowding. when I went back out no egg in the box the chicken was in. as i'm working one comes into the coop gets in the box and starts digging around. I added more hay and though maybe she's looking for something in it. well I get the other nest box installed put hay in it put her in it and she pecks at the back. I sit there for a bit then she gets in the other nest box where they been laying and starts pokeing around in back of box where they eggs are then starts poking the plastic egg so I marked her with blue kote. Now to find out how to break a chicken from eating eggs.

So far from googleing I've seen golf balls left in box. collect eggs all day. Use a tac to break an egg hole, empty the egg, then fill with mustard. One said line bottom of box with plastic looks like they used astro turf or something.

really don't want to cull one of my reds already when they are just starting to lay.

jlaw

Maybe she needs a little extra protein now that she is laying. My girls eat eggs every once in a while, I scramble and cook eggs or ground venison for them. Seems to take care of it for a while. I'll only find some yolk in the nest twice a year maybe? Sometimes I wonder about the processed feed, but at the moment thats all I can afford to feed them.

On the old timers thread they talked about shooting a squirrel and throwing the fresh carcass in for the chickens to eat, especially in the winter time when there were no other protein sources available.

 

[armorfirelady]

Ok is there anything you can do about egg eaters? I already have one I think. I went to check eggs and found another broken one this one was in the nest box and shell was softer but not totally soft. It was coverd in egg and looked like one spot was poked. When I went out there, there was a red sitting on edge of nest box faceing in then went in and turned around and came out. I think I caught it in the act but I couldn't find egg on any of the hens faces as I let them past me. My only idea is to rotate one red every other day in with my light Sussex and see who starts eating her eggs. She is still locked up letting her leg heal up more before moveing and she lays just about every day now. So if I find her egg broken or an eaten brown egg I found my eating red. But is there anything I can do about her besides cull her?

thanks

jlaw

Up their protein level. I try & give my hens meat at least 3 times a week. Canned mackeral is cheap at save a lot.

I have had soft eggs and fart eggs before but the hens never ate them until they broke. My guess is she is missing something in her nutrition that makes here want to to eat the eggs. Even cooking up eggs & giving them back to her will help.

 

[miquwid]

Lynzi my BR isn't laying that much either but I'm going to up those protein, my silkies are laying great I have freak silkies anyway lol.


Jlaw good luck I use wooden eggs in all the nest, sometimes you can put a curtain over the nest box to help discourage egg eating.

 

[JLaw]

Thanks for the replys. They have been on starter/grower. TSC don't carry grower/finisher. So today I bought some layer and oyster shells I may fry up an egg or two for them tomorrow then see if that helps.

 

[Lynzi777]

Well I did research (Even though I've already upped the protein in my chickens diets by putting them back on grower feed). I can across this thread on here that discussed ideas for people with chickens who weren't laying. One of the girls said ALL her hens were laying (about 15 of them). She fed them some oyster shells and salt, put some golf balls in their nest boxes and they all started laying that week. So I went out to the hardware store, bought the oyster shells, added some to the feed in their coops, cooked a dozen eggs as well, processed the shells, threw that out in the yard, and now I'm about to add some plastic eggs in their nest boxes. Hope this works.

 

[Glasshen]

I had heard a long time ago that if there are changes going on that can be enough to have them stop laying...so keeping things consistent is important.