Suspect I have a chicken eating eggs

[lilacdigging]

I have a feeling that the feed is not as high in protein as it should be. I've tried different feeds, and they don't seem to love any of them. And they love meat when I have a few scraps. Does anyone have that same feeling?

 

[beverlyl]

Okay, so I found part of an egg where the lovely chicken has ate all but 3 small pieces of shell and a little of the egg white. I told my husband and he said I would have to get rid of all of them, please tell me their is a way to break it or maybe just get rid of a few. I have about 30 layers now and 30 that should be laying soon. My chickens are at my parents house because my neighborhood doesn't allow chickens. SO... will the rotten ones teach the others to eat eggs? DO I really need to sit up and watch them until I catch the eater or should I just start seperating them?

 

[77horses]

We also might have a Red Star hen who is eating the eggs...We keep finding empty egg shells in the nests!

I think I'm going to try the mustard method. Just take an egg, blow the yolk/whites out (after you poke a hole in both of the ends of it) and then fill it with mustard. When she goes to eat them, she will be surprised by a nasty mustard egg and hopefully won't do it again!

 

[BlackBart]

Maybe they need more protein? Porridge with flaxseed boiled in it, is high in protein.
Like the OP said
Try blowing a egg and filling it with a flour water mixture with hot pepper sauce in it, or hot mustard. That has worked in the past.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
I don't think it really matters if it's really spicy or not. Just use something that works and that they will find unpleasant. I heard somewhere that chickens can't taste spicy things like us. They can eat really spicy foods and it won't affect them. Not sure if this is true or not.....?

 

[chicken boy sam]

I just bought some oyster shell to make the shells harder. I think what was happening to mine was that one would crack the egg. then see the goodies in it, and then eat it. I hope I can brake the habit!!!

 

[Kerilou]

Quote:
That is exactly what I suspected was happening. All my hens fight and crawl over each other for ONE nesting box out of the 10 they have to choose from. What they do is lay the eggs and then they get pushed towards the edge and onto the floor, where I suspect they broke in the fall, and then were too hard to resist. I did to the sand in the fake easter egg thing that night, and have not had another missing/eaten/broken one since. I am pretty strict about going out and checking pretty often, and I am sure that is helping, too. I mix oyster shell in with every scoop of feed...Keep us updated!

 

[chicken boy sam]

I decided not to put the oyster shell inside the feed, but gave it to them in a separate dish. I also sprinkled some outside and they seemed to like it. Mine also fight over one nesting box. I have 11 that lay and they have 6 nesting boxes to choose from. Chickens are weird. I don't think I'll have to do the easter egg thing, though.

 

[BlackBart]

Quote:
I don't think it really matters if it's really spicy or not. Just use something that works and that they will find unpleasant. I heard somewhere that chickens can't taste spicy things like us. They can eat really spicy foods and it won't affect them. Not sure if this is true or not.....?

I don't know but my Mom used hot pepper sauce in the egg she filled for a egg eater and there wasn't any doubt which chicken ate that egg because it was walking around with its beak open. It never ate another egg again.

 

[chicken boy sam]

The oyster shell didn't work. I had two this morning that were cracked. I'll have to do the easter egg thing. Why do they make this so hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!