only green eggs get pecked...

[mah46036]

We have a small flock of only 6 hens, until summer

the last week or so we have had only the green eggs being pecked... What's up with that? none of the white or brown ones. just the green. Any ideas?

Thank you.

 

[magicpigeon]

Maybe the hen laid a soft-shelled egg and the others learnt to eat green eggs. Since these don't look like "normal" eggs I suppose they didn't make the connection with any other color....

 

[mah46036]

actually the membrane wasn't even punctured. just the shell.

 

[magicpigeon]

Maybe they thought it was a piece of food. Hens will sometimes eat eggs, or feathers due to a calcium deficiency. Just a thought.

 

[Mahonri]

Get a porcelain egg and paint it green. That will teach them.

 

[PepsNick]

Quote:
You're kind of sick, Mahonri. :lol

Well, could it be that the one laying the green egg is pecking her own egg?

 

[dsqard]

Quote:
Actually this is a good idea. If you don't have an egg eating problem yet, you might wind up with one and from what I have read, it is hard to break them of egg eating. You could even find an egg shaped rock and paint it green to discourage the egg pecking.

 

[ranchhand]

Have you actually seen anyone physically peck the eggs? And is it only one or two hens laying those eggs? It would be very unusual for a chicken to peck a hole in the shell and not keep going.

The reason I ask is that last year I had eggs looking like they'd been pecked, just enough to make a little hole in the shell. Turns out I had a hen who liked to kick all the shavings out of the nest box and when she layed her egg she was dropping it on the wood floor from a standing position. Just enough to "dent" the egg.

I glued some foam in the bottom of her favorite nest and that ended the problem.