They ate an egg! :(

[Mom3timz]

I've been reading forever before I got my chickens and I understand this does happen ---

I have 5 EE (they are about 1.5 years old) in a chicken tractor. Free range about 2 hours a day. I offer their dried crushed eggshells daily. They have four nesting boxes but of course all prefer one. (What is that all about?!!) The boxes are about 3 feet off the ground.

I've only had them about 2.5 weeks now. Yesterday was the first day without a single egg laid. I thought it was kinda odd, but figured will happen now and again. Typically getting 3-4 a day with an oddball 2 or 5 thrown in there.

The girls rarely make a fuss. No egg song except ONE time from one bird. (I work from home and face the yard where they are.) Today they have been super fussy/loud. To the point I moved tractor and triple checked to be sure nothing in there with them. They didn't seem scared... just mouthy. Everyone has made quite the production this morning and had four trying to pile into THE nesting box once.

Just now they were making an even bigger racket with a noise I had never heard before (excited maybe?) and I went to check on them. There was the remains of egg on the ground and they'd already eaten it, of course. Just half the shell left.

I quickly gathered the other three from the box. I'm hoping it was just a one off thing and in the commotion of fighting for the one box (never mind the other three!) an egg was pushed out or something.

Should I do anything? I honestly check the boxes pretty often.... getting up every hour to check on them, bring them a snack etc is my way to stretch what not. Today it's been rainy and they've been fussy so I didn't check at my usual time.

I hope I don't have a habitual egg eater on my hands that I have missed before now.

 

[JurassicBawk]

I'm guessing that in the fight for the premium nest box, one just got cracked and they ate it. Mine have done the same thing a couple times in the 1.5 years they've been laying, and I don't think it's any big deal. I've dropped an egg on the way out of the coop before and they cleaned it up and never tried to crack open their eggs otherwise.

 

[JasperMoon]

I've never seen a busted one in nesting box. I'm really hoping it just fell this one time somehow.

alright, and if you still want them to eat some part of the egg, scramble it or boil it and peal it, you don't want them to recognize them with there eggs as a food source and id put a camera to watch the box and your chickens, you don't want an egg eater in there.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

Oyster shell isn't a *safer* option than egg shell, but it is higher in calcium..... HOWEVER, it is cheaper and easier to source egg shell. Washing, air drying and crushing them is perfectly fine... just don't mix them into their feed as you don't want to *force feed* calcium to those chickens who don't need it... just shake the crushed shells out into their run/yard.

 

[JasperMoon]

well if they eat an egg( like they open the egg themselves and it didn't fall and open) you want to cull them before the others do, And instead of the shells of the eggs get oyster shells and mix it with there food

 

[Mom3timz]

alright, and if you still want them to eat some part of the egg, scramble it or boil it and peal it, you don't want them to recognize them with there eggs as a food source and id put a camera to watch the box and your chickens, you don't want an egg eater in there.

I was just using the shells as a source of calcium as I've seen suggested. I let them air dry on the counter after washing and then crush up pretty darn small. Mix some it in with their daily veggie/fruit scrap snack.

 

[JasperMoon]

I was just using the shells as a source of calcium as I've seen suggested. I let them air dry on the counter after washing and then crush up pretty darn small. Mix some it in with their daily veggie/fruit scrap snack.

Yeah I get it but, most people use oyster shells as a better source due to it not being egg, its just safer. and get some layers feed, scratch and cracked corn. i

 

[peckpeckpeck]

Hi
My girls ate a soft egg that broke, but they never broke any eggs. Hopefully yours was also a case where it broke while fighting over the nest box.

For that problem, I know it's hard & frustrating.
Do you have fake eggs in the other boxes? They like to lay where they think is safest, & think if someone else laid here, it must be safe.
I use golf balls.

Might help also to block off the one nestbox they always lay in, so that they are all forced to use a new spot.

Good luck & keep us posted!

 

[Mom3timz]

Hi
My girls ate a soft egg that broke, but they never broke any eggs. Hopefully yours was also a case where it broke while fighting over the nest box.

For that problem, I know it's hard & frustrating.
Do you have fake eggs in the other boxes? They like to lay where they think is safest, & think if someone else laid here, it must be safe.
I use golf balls.

Might help also to block off the one nestbox they always lay in, so that they are all forced to use a new spot.

Good luck & keep us posted!

I have not tried the fake eggs -- I'll do that today with some golf balls to see if that helps the fussing over THE preferred box for the rest of the week. Fingers crossed. Thank you!

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Greetings Mom3timz,

Don't worry about this incident. Instead, do as peckpeckpeck suggested. Place some fake eggs in all of the nest boxes. Be sure to put some little marks on the fake eggs, so you don't accidentally collect them, too. Sometimes an egg breaks when a hen is trying to move it with their beak, or it can get cracked when the hen steps on it.

Hens also, get very upset when the nest is soiled by egg contents. When they try to tidy up, they taste the egg and discover it's edible. But, it's the hen that purposely waits for others to lay an egg and then goes into the nest box to break the egg and eat it, that has to be dealt with.

Thankfully, I have never had to deal with a hen for egg eating. Immediate clean up of the nest box in necessary. You don't want this to become a learned behavior by leaving the mess.

I also find that adding some curtains to the nest boxes, helps the hens to feel safer while laying their egg.


These are my thoughts on your egg issue, I hope they are helpful.

God Bless and peace to you.