She ate one of her eggs!

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

My experiment has been going half way good - she's been setting most of the time on the eggs for the last two and a half days. But, last night DH went in and found her polishing off an egg!!!

She has plenty of food an water, so that isn't it. I don't think she was an egg eater previous to this, we never had any evidence that we had an egg eater in the coop. If she accidentally cracked it would that encourage her to eat it? We cleaned out her whole crate and the nest box to get rid of the remains of shell and the sticky mess in the nest. After I was all done and put her and the eggs back she hissed at me and settled right back on them.

How much trouble are we in?? If this brood doesn't work out can I return her to the coop or is she now an egg eater???

 

[dianneS]

I know that my hens will eat any egg that cracks. I don't know why. Maybe they just want to keep the nest clean. None of them have ever become chronic egg eaters, but if an egg is cracked they will take that opportunity to polish it off, but never intentionally break any eggs just to eat them.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Thanks Diannes, hopefully you're right. She is sitting on them all now and no more are broken or missing.....