One chicken has started eating the eggs!

[charsis]

I know there are a few posts here on this subject already, but I'd like to hear from anyone who has experienced this problem and solved it. I have 7 chickens, all about 6 months old, and in the last week one of them (and I know who it is!) has taken to eating the eggs. I had been finding at least one egg a day with a pecked hole in it for a few days before that (only the shell was pecked, the inner membrane intact), but now I'm finding destruction! I believe the culprit has also stopped laying but can't be sure of that. One of them isnt anyway. They get layers feed plus are free range for at least 8 hrs a day. If I get in quick I can usually rescue most of the eggs, but if I'm delayed in egg collecting then it's pretty slim pickings for me, and a lot of mess in the coop. Advice?

 

[Odelia]

I know there are a few posts here on this subject already, but I'd like to hear from anyone who has experienced this problem and solved it. I have 7 chickens, all about 6 months old, and in the last week one of them (and I know who it is!) has taken to eating the eggs. I had been finding at least one egg a day with a pecked hole in it for a few days before that (only the shell was pecked, the inner membrane intact), but now I'm finding destruction! I believe the culprit has also stopped laying but can't be sure of that. One of them isnt anyway. They get layers feed plus are free range for at least 8 hrs a day. If I get in quick I can usually rescue most of the eggs, but if I'm delayed in egg collecting then it's pretty slim pickings for me, and a lot of mess in the coop. Advice?

Get the offending chicken out of your coop before she teaches everyone else how delicious their eggs are. If the rest of your flock starts eating eggs you will have a much harder time ever fixing this issue. I would quarantine the egg eater and give her some mustard filled eggs. As you know who the culprit is the easiest solution is to send her to freezer camp.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

The only way to truly solve it is to cull the hen.

We have so many birds that we can never know exactly who is eating the eggs. We've found that putting golf balls in the nests slows them down a bit. They peck at the golf balls intending to crack them like an egg and it hurts their beak.

 

[moms3cuties]

You may try some ceramic eggs if you want something realistic. They should be hard on their breaks! I hope this helps. I bought mine at the feed store.

 

[chad-o]

The problem comes when your chickens recognize eggs as food. This problem becomes contagious. It seems that once one learns they all learn. Probably the easiest solution is cull the culprit. But there is another solution, a roll out nest that will keep the eggs away from the chickens.Check this out it's a sure cure.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221421937094?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649