Our hens (and maybe rooster) are eating eggs before we get to them.

[foodfreak02]

We have ceramic eggs in the boxes. Our ladies lay all throughout the day rather than just the morning. We go out about 3 times a day/afternoon. What more can we do to stop this?!

 

[Tenrec]

Tell you what I did when one of my hens got a taste for her own eggs.

First, I made sure I was giving her adequate nutrition. Hens can start eating their own eggs to replenish their own nutrients...Or maybe the egg is fragile and breaks because the hen isn't getting enough nutrition, like protein or calcium...Then she sees the eg Once they start, it can be a hard habit to break though.

Second, I took a tasty-looking egg from the store, and blew it out so the egg looked pretty much intact. Then I took a syringe, and used that to pump mustard into the empty store-egg. Set a few of these mustard eggs in the box and I swear that bird stopped pecking her own eggs the very next day. Chickens HATE mustard, and if they think their eggs are filled with this nasty gunk, they won't even try.

I'm sure there are more solutions, but I've only ever had this happen twice and this trick worked both times.

 

[BYC910]

We have ceramic eggs in the boxes. Our ladies lay all throughout the day rather than just the morning. We go out about 3 times a day/afternoon. What more can we do to stop this?!

Welcome to BYC

not a big fan of ceramic eggs they like bare nesting boxes can cause cracked eggs . Roll away nesting boxes will help if they are set so the eggs roll out of their reach .

Tell you what I did when one of my hens got a taste for her own eggs.

First, I made sure I was giving her adequate nutrition. Hens can start eating their own eggs to replenish their own nutrients...Or maybe the egg is fragile and breaks because the hen isn't getting enough nutrition, like protein or calcium...Then she sees the eg Once they start, it can be a hard habit to break though.

Second, I took a tasty-looking egg from the store, and blew it out so the egg looked pretty much intact. Then I took a syringe, and used that to pump mustard into the empty store-egg. Set a few of these mustard eggs in the box and I swear that bird stopped pecking her own eggs the very next day. Chickens HATE mustard, and if they think their eggs are filled with this nasty gunk, they won't even try.

I'm sure there are more solutions, but I've only ever had this happen twice and this trick worked both times.

Never tried that

 

[junebuggena]

How old are the birds? How long have they been laying? What are you feeding?

 

[foodfreak02]

They're a mix of ages. We have some that will be 2 years old this July and some will be 1 year old in June.

 

[foodfreak02]

We feed our girls (and rooster) layer food with treats of cracked corn and a few sunflower seeds added in. They love that scratch mix. We also let them out in their tunnel and they scratch for earthworms and eat grass and dandelions.

 

[foodfreak02]

UPDATE: THANK YOU ALL for your responses of help for our situation. We took the advice that chickens like an empty nesting box and removed the ceramic eggs. Since then they've not bothered another egg!!! Outstanding!!! Again, thank you ALL for your suggestions, information and caring!! Love, love, love you all!!! Thank you so much!!

We have ceramic eggs in the boxes. Our ladies lay all throughout the day rather than just the morning. We go out about 3 times a day/afternoon. What more can we do to stop this?!

 

[junebuggena]

We feed our girls (and rooster) layer food with treats of cracked corn and a few sunflower seeds added in. They love that scratch mix. We also let them out in their tunnel and they scratch for earthworms and eat grass and dandelions.

Layer feed is for actively laying birds only. The high calcium content can be fatal to roosters. Too many low protein/high fat treats, like corn and sunflower seeds, can cause protein deficiencies (a potential cause of egg eating) and fat deposits that make laying difficult.