The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[wolftracks]

Sounds like you thought the same..nutrient deficiency, but, it still does not sound right. A whole nest of duck eggs and all the chicken eggs in one day?

Yeah that's a lot of eats to be missing, but lots of times if one eats them, they all get to taste it and it gives you mulitple egg eaters. Then again, I wouldn't rule out that something is hitting those eggs.

 

[Wisher1000]

Chickens may start eating eggs due to a deficiency, or because one gets broken and tasted. Chickens keep eating eggs for the same reason we do, they are delicious! Some people buy/build roll away nest boxes. I have heard of filling eggs with mustard or plaster. I have heard to people breaking them with ceramic eggs. I broke one hen from eating eggs one time by keeping the eggs collected out of the box she went to to eat and keeping hard, wooden eggs in there instead for two months. She eventually stopped trying them to see if they would break and I didn't lose any more. I would still occasionally see beak-tip sized holes in the shells from time to time, but none were consumed. I hate to say this, but it may be that the whole flock has to be culled to stop it. It wouldn't be right to rehome them. Any new birds that you get will learn it from the others. Maybe you can tolerate the behavior, but I couldn't.

 

[wolftracks]

Chickens may start eating eggs due to a deficiency, or because one gets broken and tasted. Chickens keep eating eggs for the same reason we do, they are delicious! Some people buy/build roll away nest boxes. I have heard of filling eggs with mustard or plaster. I have heard to people breaking them with ceramic eggs. I broke one hen from eating eggs one time by keeping the eggs collected out of the box she went to to eat and keeping hard, wooden eggs in there instead for two months. She eventually stopped trying them to see if they would break and I didn't lose any more. I would still occasionally see beak-tip sized holes in the shells from time to time, but none were consumed. I hate to say this, but it may be that the whole flock has to be culled to stop it. It wouldn't be right to rehome them. Any new birds that you get will learn it from the others. Maybe you can tolerate the behavior, but I couldn't.

I used a wooden and a ceramic egg. I tried the mustard the first time and now, my chickens like mustard. Go figure.

 

[ronott1]

Chickens may start eating eggs due to a deficiency, or because one gets broken and tasted. Chickens keep eating eggs for the same reason we do, they are delicious! Some people buy/build roll away nest boxes. I have heard of filling eggs with mustard or plaster. I have heard to people breaking them with ceramic eggs. I broke one hen from eating eggs one time by keeping the eggs collected out of the box she went to to eat and keeping hard, wooden eggs in there instead for two months. She eventually stopped trying them to see if they would break and I didn't lose any more. I would still occasionally see beak-tip sized holes in the shells from time to time, but none were consumed. I hate to say this, but it may be that the whole flock has to be culled to stop it. It wouldn't be right to rehome them. Any new birds that you get will learn it from the others. Maybe you can tolerate the behavior, but I couldn't.

It is natural behavior for chickens to test the eggs by pecking them--it is a test of viability. I would bet the persons flock has parasites or a mineral deficiency. Once the eggs shells harden up the broken eggs will stop.

Unless it is a possum like was posted earlier.

The flock should be wormed, dusted, given layer, calcium and maybe a good vitamin or granulated seaweed. I too have had broken eggs now and them but it was not an egg eater. If the egg breaks they will eat it. The problem is nearly always with the egg.

Amazing how much help we are giving to a person on Craig's List! I hope they have joined BYC by now....

 

[ozexpat]

I have the second one and manually turned the eggs, I only hatched 12 eggs but 9/12 hatched.. It was my first time hatching and was happy with the result!

I'd recommend turning it on a few days before to get the humidity stable as it took me a bit to figure out how much water to add.

I am in Australia and only paid $60 aud for mine

Goodlyck

bloody aussies everywhere lol

welcome and gday

 

[ozexpat]

I threw my plugs away.........

me too - i would have lost them anyway. let those eggs breath

 

[mama2my4]

YAY!!!

I am setting my orp eggs tomorrow. BUT, I am now swapping for Easter peeps!!

 

[lalalovinlil]

Im in I had been planning for this even before I knew there would be a hatch-a-long

 

[lalalovinlil]

How do you sign up for the hatch-a-long?

 

[Kimbroe1981]

Alright guys, I'm fixin' (technical word in Alabama) to buy a new thermo/hygro-meter. Does everyone agree that the Brinsea Spot Check is the one to go with or is there something better? I have four cheap ones and don't trust any of them.

I use 'Fixin' all the time!!! When I lived in Utah, I used it one day at work when I was fixin to go to lunch - all the girls at work cracked up laughing and started teasing me about it. I asked them well, what is you're doing?? They said "Going to lunch" - not Fixing to go to lunch! They just didn't understand country!

It's one of my favorite words!!