What am I doing wrong?? Egg Eaters

[debid]

I believe mine started with an older hen laying soft/thin shells. And then the perpetrator figured out that she could crack all the eggs if she pecked hard enough. It's REALLY hard to stop one once they figure out how good eggs taste.

My problem did not start with a dietary issue but making sure they have what they need is definitely important. I use a 22% protein mini pellet feed so I was confident it wasn't that. But 16% feed was designed to be the ONLY thing they eat. It meets the minimum requirements without room to dilute with scratch and other treats.

I got frustrated enough to design and build some rollaway boxes. I put up pictures on this site from the build. The basic concept was to roll the eggs far enough that they are out of reach even if the hen figures out where the eggs are going. I saw others had built such things so I used their concepts and basic measurements but modified the design to better fit a hutch style coop as an external box. Zero eggs eaten since and they apparently love their boxes as there are no eggs laid anywhere else.

 

[Leasmom1013]

Food may be an issue here. 16% layer, plus scratch, plus everything else, probably not a balanced diet, and especially low in protein. Is the layer feed fresh, by mill date on each bag? Is it a whole grain feed, or pelleted/ crumble?
Also, once one bird figures out how to eat those yummy eggs, she can show her flockmates how great it is to do the same thing.
Are the egg shells strong, or fragile? That's also an issue sometimes.
You may or may not repair this situation with these birds, but try. Fix their diet! Cut all the extras, especially the scratch. (One cup daily for five hens? Way too much!) Buy a 20% protein all flock or chick feed, and mix it with your remaining layer feed to make a change to the new feed, with oyster shell in a separate dish. Also grit in a separate dish, hope you are already doing that.
If it's one bird leading this behavior, separate or remove her, and hope the others get over it.
Twice we had an egg destroyer, identified by the yolk on her face, and removed her from the flock.
Fragile or cracked eggs are fair game for everyone, it's the bird who damages eggs on purpose who has to go.
Mary

Yes the shells are hard. I make sure they are. Betty White, my Easter Egger purposely cracked open the shell. I watched her do it. She stayed on it until she had opened it and that’s when I grabbed the shell out as fast as I could. But they did it again yesterday as I was checking for eggs and giving them scratch and today I heard the egg call but couldn’t get out there until a half hour later and there was no egg and I was just out there and still couldn’t find that other fake egg. I will definitely work on their protein and cutting out treats.

 

[Leasmom1013]

I believe mine started with an older hen laying soft/thin shells. And then the perpetrator figured out that she could crack all the eggs if she pecked hard enough. It's REALLY hard to stop one once they figure out how good eggs taste.

My problem did not start with a dietary issue but making sure they have what they need is definitely important. I use a 22% protein mini pellet feed so I was confident it wasn't that. But 16% feed was designed to be the ONLY thing they eat. It meets the minimum requirements without room to dilute with scratch and other treats.

I got frustrated enough to design and build some rollaway boxes. I put up pictures on this site from the build. The basic concept was to roll the eggs far enough that they are out of reach even if the hen figures out where the eggs are going. I saw others had built such things so I used their concepts and basic measurements but modified the design to better fit a hutch style coop as an external box. Zero eggs eaten since and they apparently love their boxes as there are no eggs laid anywhere else.

I bought a roll away but I built a whole other chicken area for the new ones and I still have the rollaway one but it wouldn’t fit in this one unless I removed the legs. The current one has three spaces for them to lay with fake eggs in it. They use just one nesting box but only two regularly lay in the nesting box. The other three have laid in the run and those are the ones they have attacked.

 

[Leasmom1013]

First Cut out all excess treats. Next leave them with only their feed, & collect eggs as soon as they're laid. Do this for a couple weeks, then start going back to normal routine(minus the treats, or reduce how often you give them.)
If there's still egg eating after going back get pinless peepers(Blinders), this prevents them from being able to look straight ahead, correcting bad habits.
Next step would be increasing protien to 18% to 20%. Often times egg eating is a sign they're not getting enough protein, or some other nutrients.

Thanks

 

[debid]

How old are the birds leaving their eggs in the run? That's usually a young pullet problem that they grow out of unless there are nice hiding spots that are appealing out there?

 

[Leasmom1013]

Baking soda causes an alkaline environment which breaks down the oligosaccarides. (the complex sugars which normally require complex fermentation to break down, thus causing gas and bloating), also since it is an alkaline there is no need to counter the natural acid components created in the digestion process. Protien digestion is a naturally acid producing process, and requires alot of work from the kidneys to filter it and other toxins out, which is the main reason there is a cap on how much protien give a hen in the first place. Most creatures (including hens) use dietary OR bodily calcium to counter excess blood acid levels. Too much protein in the diet without the other properly balanced ingredients can actually cause kidney damage and make her to go into ketoacidosis, which would further deprive her of calcium and eventually cause death for too much acid in the blood. This is why when you feed 20% feed it is supposed to be for a shorter amount of time during high protein needs Like molting season, and even then you are supposed to offer extra calcium and it will still increase the chance of egg binding.
The high protien feeds you are getting mostly get their protien from soybeans, sunflower seeds and peas anyway. These are used instead of other because you can get enough protien for cheaper without causing problems, but due to the extra oil in the sunflower and soy beans, as well as the phytoestrogens in the soy, either one of those has problems as the main protien source, peas are great and offer complete protien but are more expensive than the other 2 and also have very little calcium, unlike the soy. They use this mix NOT because it is the most nutritious, but because it is the cheapest for mass production without causing high chances of problems. This mix maxes the egg production artificially with the soy (and other thibgs they put in) actually causing your hen to "burn out" faster. Hens fed on carefully constructed higher quality feed, or just allowed to get most of their nutrients from free ranging, have consistently been found to lay slightly less eggs per year but keep laying for years past the "norm" with a 5year old hen being common to still laying often. Mixing your own feed is entirely possible, and would potentially create a much more balanced and healthy diet, but requires much research and study and math. Anyone without extensive biology and nutrition background is probably not going to be able to do it. All this said, to just boost your protien amounts without causing problems, white beans soaked in baking soda water, about 1 tsp per lb, before being cooked (feel free to rinse it before cooking) is an excellent and safe way to increase the protein while not causing acid or kidney problems. You can also try meal worms or black soldier fly larvae, but you will need to offer extra calcium and not maintain it for long.

I have the black soldier fly larvae. And thank you. I’ll screenshot this.

 

[Leasmom1013]

How old are the birds leaving their eggs in the run? That's usually a young pullet problem that they grow out of unless there are nice hiding spots that are appealing out there?

They were born in April. They were supposed to start laying in October and two of the five did. The other three waited until January. Before the snowstorm, I was getting 4 eggs on most days. The snowstorm occurred. We were in the negative temps at night and a few temps in the teens during the day and I thought maybe this was happening because they got bored. We aren’t allowed to let them free range here so that’s why I bring them grass, weeds and garden scraps. But this just started in the past 3 to 4 days.

 

[NetherLeeFarm]

You've gotten some really good advice and I totally agree with @Folly's place - everything Mary said is spot on. Once this begins to happen, it's hard to get them to stop even with feed improvement.

I'd immediately separate out the main perpetrator (your EE) to keep her away from the other eggs and to see if anyone else has picked up these shenanigans. If it's all your hens, it's more difficult to stop. You could install something like nesting boxes with egg chutes.

Hopefully a higher protein feed will help. If not, rehome the eater(s) or keep them totally separated from the non-eaters. From what I've seen, they'll teach it very quickly to the others and any new pullets that you bring in also, so you don't want to keep these in your flock.

 

[Leasmom1013]

You've gotten some really good advice and I totally agree with @Folly's place - everything Mary said is spot on. Once this begins to happen, it's hard to get them to stop even with feed improvement.

I'd immediately separate out the main perpetrator (your EE) to keep her away from the other eggs and to see if anyone else has picked up these shenanigans. If it's all your hens, it's more difficult to stop. You could install something like nesting boxes with egg chutes.

Hopefully a higher protein feed will help. If not, rehome the eater(s) or keep them totally separated from the non-eaters. From what I've seen, they'll teach it very quickly to the others and any new pullets that you bring in also, so you don't want to keep these in your flock.

Thanks. I will.

 

[NetherLeeFarm]

Thanks. I will.

Just found this! If it continues, definitely a good budget alternative to roll out nesting boxes:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/roll-away-boxes-using-paint-trays.1452875/