Virgin layer pecking eggs!

[LateBirdFarms]

I've got a brand new virgin layer HamburgX, she's only layed me 4 eggs so far, cutest little things, other than the two that had tiny holes pecked (I assume its pecked, the shell is fairly thick, so I don't think it was a toe, but I've been wrong before) into the very end of the egg, no membrane break. I've never had an egg eater... is that what's possibly going to result? Or is this a new layer being confused about what's making her vent hurt so darn much?

And when I say hurt, I imagine there's a bit of a tear in the poor girl, each egg came with the tiniest streak of blood. (The peck was no where near the blood smear, so I don't think that encouraged the extra attention.) Should I be doing something for it? Her vent tear I mean. Theres a very small bit of swelling to my girl's vent as well, but nothing that appears alarming.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Could be curiosity pecks, could be someone's toe. None of the eggs were actually eaten?

A little blood isn't abnormal for a new layer, as you can imagine it's quite a change going from adolescence to pushing out eggs. As long as it doesn't worsen or continue for a prolonged period I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[aart]

Wonders if egg cracked when it hit the nest, even with lots of bedding in nests new layers often scratch it all away before settling down to lay. ...and they almost fully stand up when egg actually emerges.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Could be curiosity pecks, could be someone's toe. None of the eggs were actually eaten?

A little blood isn't abnormal for a new layer, as you can imagine it's quite a change going from adolescence to pushing out eggs. As long as it doesn't worsen or continue for a prolonged period I wouldn't worry about it too much.

No, the membrane itself it wasn't broken so she never got a taste. I may be a bit paranoid about the egg eating, I've got several flock owners around here who swear up and down egg eating and cannibalism are normal behaviours, so i might be a bit guilty of jumping to conclusions.

My reds left a single smear or two, but not passed the second egg, except for the double yoker month (geez did I feel bad for her!), but I figured it didn't hurt to ask. It's not excessive, just obviously freshly torn with each egg, it's probably the empathy making me ask, I know just how the little lady feels!

Thanks for easing my fears!

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Wonders if egg cracked when it hit the nest, even with lots of bedding in nests new layers often scratch it all away before settling down to lay. ...and they almost fully stand up when egg actually emerges.

That's a very, very good question! I'll have to take a closer look at that when I collect tomorrow. I never even thought of that possibility! I absolutely adore being able to bounce chicken things off of chicken educated people at the drop of a hat and get chicken relevant ideas in return! Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

No, the membrane itself it wasn't broken so she never got a taste. I may be a bit paranoid about the egg eating, I've got several flock owners around here who swear up and down egg eating and cannibalism are normal behaviours

Glad that the egg contents weren't actually consumed. I've had a few soft or off-the-roost broken eggs, and my birds will eat the contents, but they leave intact eggs alone. That's acceptable behavior. Cannibalism and eating broken eggs might be instinctive, but not something I'd want in my flock.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Glad that the egg contents weren't actually consumed. I've had a few soft or off-the-roost broken eggs, and my birds will eat the contents, but they leave intact eggs alone. That's acceptable behavior. Cannibalism and eating broken eggs might be instinctive, but not something I'd want in my flock.

The first farmer that said it, I swore was batty! I had never had an issue with cannibalistic behaviours or egg eating. I knew it was an issue in the commercial facilities around here, but never in my own happily integrated flock. By the time I had heard it from several different people, I started to really wonder if it was something I had to worry about. I actually almost rehomed a rooster to a fellow, and then he asked how I kept his feathers so healthy and if he was kept alone since he had no wounds and it REALLY raised a red flag, so I asked if he had cannibalism in his flock.. his answer was that if anyone said they didn't, they were lying. So I was a little shocked. He also complained that his hens were eating the majority of his eggs before he could get to them. Long story short, in his case, I think it was a mixed case of the flock of almost 100 layers being crammed into too small a place and the fact he only fed them scratch grain, but it the possibility stuck with me, I suppose.

 

[NatJ]

Do you have fake eggs in the nests too? I think it helps avoid egg-eating, because the chickens can try to eat "eggs" as often as they like, but the fake ones never open up to reveal anything tasty. So they learn that pecking eggs is usually a waste of effort.

 

[aart]

I'll have to take a closer look at that when I collect tomorrow.

Happens here when the nest bedding get thin.
New layers might also take curiosity pecks leaving a dent.

Cannibalism and eating broken eggs might be instinctive, but not something I'd want in my flock.

...and it's pretty rare.

Long story short, in his case, I think it was a mixed case of the flock of almost 100 layers being crammed into too small a place and the fact he only fed them scratch grain, but it the possibility stuck with me, I suppose.

Yep.
Don't take any advice from that guy.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Do you have fake eggs in the nests too? I think it helps avoid egg-eating, because the chickens can try to eat "eggs" as often as they like, but the fake ones never open up to reveal anything tasty. So they learn that pecking eggs is usually a waste of effort.

LOL fake eggs are a bit of an issue in my nesting boxes, but I do have them, they're just a bone of contention between my flock and I. They stay just fine in the nest boxes my experienced layers don't use, but I have 8 hens coming into lay, so I want the fake eggs in there! My older girls roll the fake eggs over the lip of the nest and onto the floor, every single day. I've used wooden eggs, painted and unpainted, plastic easter eggs, golf balls.. I even went as far as to blow out real egg shells and fill them with expanding foam and carefully covered the ends to disguise them, but my older girls refuse to be fooled and leave them alone!