somebody's eating eggs, but who?

[chickbliss7]

In the last couple of weeks, I have found shells on the ground of the coop. They are always my Ameracauna's green eggshell. It doesn't happen every day, and I don't know who is actually eating it (I have 6 mixed breeds). She has a tendency to lay on the ground. When I left the coop a few hours ago, she was just getting in the nest box and there was no egg underneath. I left, and when I came back, she was still in the same nest box, but her egg was underneath it, on the ground and EATEN. Did she push it out after laying it? I've never seen her do that.

I haven't read any advice on this problem that doesn't ultimately say to put the offender down. Even if I had the heart to do that, what if they're all eating the egg?

I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but they are all ravenous eaters. They're big (though not fat) girls and I feed them a lot of healthy snacks. Even so, they always seem starved. Is this why they're eating an egg, when available, because they're so hungry? They are not free-rangers (too many predators), but have a large pen and coop and plenty of space.

 

[satay]

Check your chickens for signs of egg on them,one sign they are eating the eggs. Maybe they have been pushed out and fallen. You will have to keep a watch on them and see. If you find you have an egg eater,I put a piece of material like a make ship curtain accross the front of the nest box and that stopped it. Good luck.

 

[chickbliss7]

Good idea. I have a curtain pulled half-way across one nest box for those that seem to like privacy. I will try putting a curtain across her favorite nest box, and see if that keeps her from pushing out the egg. Don't know what to do about those she lays deliberately on the ground. I suspect the others eat it if they find it there. The trick is to get her to lay in the box 100% of the time! Perhaps I'll stop feeding them snacks in the coop (and only feed in the pen)--they may be in the habit of looking for food inside rather than going outside. Anything on the floor in the coop may signal "food" to them!

 

[LeghornJosh]

Well as far as eating the eggs goes... My hens seem to keep all their eggs together and try to keep them safe, but if one happens to break they all run at it and eat it up. I have a couple guesses to why they do this. first i think that they eat up all the evidence so preditors will not find it, and then realize a source of food. Second i think they know the egg is no good anymore and eat it to bring the nutrients back into their bodies for "recycling". Just guessing though, i don't think they will purposly eat the eggs just cause they are hungry.

 

[chickbliss7]

Interesting thoughts about chicken instincts. Sort of like freaking out whenever anything goes over their heads. They will panic if I just reach for something on a shelf overhead, or go to pat them on their heads. They don't do this if I come up from below them.

They do tend to like to lay their eggs one on top of another, gently pushing the existing eggs with their beaks, to the side. I haven't seen an egg get broken while in the nest box. Once the eggs fall on the ground, however, all bets are off! My Americauna has always been a maverick (not to bring up that overused word again), laying all over the coop, the only one that refuses to be touched. As a baby chick, she regularly got out of the steep-sided box and walked around the house. It was hard to catch her! Thanks for all your comments.

 

[scooter147]

The hen that has dried egg above her nostrils is ususally the culprit.
Also, watch them during the course of the day, the hen that repeatidly makes a trip into the henhouse and checks out the nest boxes is usually the culprit as well.
My hens only spend time in the henhouse to lay and roost unless it's miserable cold out.

 

[chickbliss7]

I'll watch the beaks--usually they're covered with dirt from rooting around in the pen. My hens are in and out of the coop all day; I don't know what they do in there--maybe they're looking for eggs! But they all come running out when I go to the pen because they're obsessed with food and I usually have something for them--I feel terrible if I come empty-handed. Is it normal for chickens to gobble up everything in sight? Especially when I bring out the meal worms, it's a free-for-all! I swear they know the container from yards away, and they become hysterical trying to get to me first!

 

[scooter147]

Chickens are eating machines.
Yes chickens learn to recognize a treat container or the food bucket, like Pavlov's dog.

When mine see me coming with the kitchen scrape bucket they charge the fence then darn near knock me over when I go into the run.

 

[norcal]

Can you really know that a chicken who has egg on its face is actually the culprit of BREAKING the egg. Maybe one breaks it and they ALL eat it. That's my guess, 'cause that's usually how treats go.

Would hate for you to eat a chicken w/o knowing. You should probably see it first hand. Unless it ALWAYS has egg on it's face, and none of the others ever do.....I guess. ??

 

[chickbliss7]

Hi Nor Cal--I'm from there too. I've had the same thought that the ones you catch pecking the egg shell aren't necessarily the ones who originally broke it. Once it's broken, they're all eating it! It's always the Americauna's green egg, but I can't be certain it's she who broke it. Today, she laid in the nest box, and I was able to gather all 6 eggs without a hitch--hooray!