Stopping Egg-eating

[caracals]

My BO laid an egg today and when I went to go retrieve it after leaving it there for a bit, I found that it had been eaten and there were cracked eggshells in the nesting box. Now, my BO lays every single day and I've always let her egg sit in there to help my other hens know where to lay their eggs (I also use an Easter egg to assist them but found that a real egg helps much more) and nothing like this has happened. I know that this is a common issue with chickens and it can be hard to correct!

This only just occurred today, so I want to stop it early. I've removed the other egg and kept the fake egg there. Do I just take them as quickly as I find the real eggs and hope that they are fooled by the fake egg again? It seems like they started to realize the difference between the two, hence why this is happening now.

I'm just confused as to why they only ate one egg and not the other that was there. Maybe the egg they ate just didn't have a strong enough egg shell?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Usually an accidental breakage occurred and nothing to worry about... if it was a first time.

I leave fake eggs just to discourage pecking and show them the nest isn't being raided too hard. Some of my girls totally kick the fake ones out.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

hmmm... How about upping her protein and calcium, and get her new laid egg, replace with an egg that will taste bad if she starts to eat it (real egg with some spray on the shell that tastes bad to them and/or maybe inject into it)? Good luck

 

[Brahma27]

Fill a fake egg with something your hen doesn't like or switch to slanted nest boxes until the problem stops

 

[Larry55]

Can be from not enough protein. Try using canned cat food once in awhile. Worked for me. Sometimes they will do this when they arent getting enough protein in their food.