Preventing young pullets from eating eggs habits

[VanUnamed]

Hello,
Maybe it has been discussed before, but I have a question, I do have some young pullets that are starting to lay, most lay shelled eggs, some, esp. overnight lay shell-less eggs, I do go early in the morning before theres light to take them out before they see them, but of course I cannot be 100% sure there isn't one I didnt see, also not all the ladies have understood that eggs are laid in the nestboxes and not on the ground or on THE TABLE. one pullet already ate an egg. Is there a way to avoid them taking this bad habit after babysitting and removing all eggs immediately (shelled and shell-less)?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

In my experience, it is a rare chicken that is truly an egg eater... meaning a chicken that intentionally breaks open an undamaged egg to eat it. (It isn't in their genetic makeup to eat their own eggs, since doing that prevents those very genes from being passed down to the next chicken generation.) Most of the time the egg is broken accidentally, perhaps getting stepped on or cracked during laying, and the chickens will take advantage and eat the broken egg. This is most likely to happen if the shells are thin.

The best defense is to make sure the egg shells are hard by providing extra calcium to your flock. Offering a bowl of crushed oyster shell is an easy solution. The hens will eat what they need and lay eggs with thicker shells. If a pullet is consistently laying shell-less eggs, the additional calcium might help. It is normal for new layers to lay an occasional egg without a shell, but if it persists, it could mean the pullet has a problem with egg production.

It can take some time to get young pullets to lay in the nest boxes, and the best way is to make sure the boxes are the most desirable place to lay... a good size offering some privacy and security, enough boxes that a hen doesn't have to wait too long for one to become available (and end up laying her egg on the table. ) Putting fake eggs into the boxes will attract them to lay there. Even a golf ball will do. That being said, like people, chickens are individuals, and some may never choose the boxes. I have a hen that insists on laying her egg in my garage behind the furnace. If the garage door is closed, she comes to the kitchen window and lets us know she needs to get into the garage!

Fake eggs also can prevent a curious pullet from "learning" how to crack open an egg. If she happens to peck a fake egg out of curiosity, she never gets a meal out of it, and loses interest. There isn't much you can do about the shell-less eggs being eaten. Hopefully you will stop seeing those soon and everyone will lay nice hard eggs in the nest boxes.

 

[VanUnamed]

Hello, thanks for the advice, I have been doing most of the above. In the morning I find 4 to 5 eggs for example today 4 in the nest box, one on the floor (they have 3 boxes). Once they get out, and they have free access to the coop, SOME do get back in and lay there, some... Love the table. they make such a mess but I don't care, better on the table than on the run. For calcium I am adding 10% calcium carbonate to their milled feed we make (milled grains+concentrate) as we can't find oyster shells anymore, it works out to be 4% calcium feed. Should I add a tad bit more? Calcium seems right, as those that lay a shelled egg the shell is normal. I didnt have a fake egg, so I just found some white pebble that looks like an egg but I think they aren't THAT silly.
Thanks

 

[aart]

In the morning I find 4 to 5 eggs for example today 4 in the nest box, one on the floor (they have 3 boxes).

How many birds total are using these 3 nests?
Are you gathering all eggs when you lock up at night near dark?

I didnt have a fake egg, so I just found some white pebble that looks like an egg but I think they aren't THAT silly.

Anything roundish and approximately egg sized will work.

 

[VanUnamed]

12 in total I gather eggs during the morning and afternoon, or whenever i hear an egg song I go look but if i see from a hole that there is one sitting in there I don't disturb them

 

[Mrs. K]

Mine are notional, they will lay where they are suppose to for long periods of time, and then.... the thing, if it is not too hard for me to collect the eggs, I let them. However, sometimes it is too hard, so then just make that place less desirable or put something in there so they can't fit. Tip the table over for a few days so they can't lay there, and they will find the better place, your nests!