Possible Egg eater

[fshinggrl]

I have found evidence that I get broken eggs quite frequently. I have 10 hens and a rooster. I have had them on oyster shells mixed into their food in the past, but that hasn't really seemed to help. IS there another source that would get harder shells in case they are breaking because the hens will only lay eggs where there are eggs already? (Community nest, 3 nest wide) Any advice is welcome.

eta: These chickens are just over a year old (Late April 2014 hatch).

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I know the longer they lay the weaker the shells get, and some birds just have weak shell, community nest can be bad because they step on the eggs and break them, then they will eat them, have you seen any in the act. You can put a lot of fake eggs in the nest, if it's an actual egg eater than they peck, but can't break it and give up, or there are all kinds of mustard concoctions people use to deter egg eating, I occasionally find broken eggs which have been eaten, but it almost always was punctured by a toe nail. All you can do is provide layer ration of good quality, and access to oyster shells, and plenty of outside time. I would look into dividing up your nests and collecting eggs more often, and maybe trying to find out how they are getting broken, which means doing a lot of observation. Hope this helps.

 

[fshinggrl]

I will edit the first post, but these chickens are just over a year old. I have never had this issue. Dividing the nest will be a chore, but I'll look into it. I've just had the most incredible issue of having 3 broody hens who couldn't keep eggs to the hatch. Thanks for the response!

 

[IceAngel]

There are other sources of calcium and magnesium other than shells. I believe chickens also need a source of Vitamin D to help metabolize the minerals. It's pretty easy to tell if the shells are cracking from being thin and added calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and Vitamin D should help.

If the shell thickness seems O.K. perhaps you have a "pecker" on your hands. Try to lure her to the other nests with golf balls or egg shaped rocks.