What am I doing wrong?? Egg Eaters

[U_Stormcrow]

and yes, I linked a lot of my own posts - because they are easier to find, and are backed by links to the relevant studies or photo evidence, not because I consider myself an expert. The contents of the posts above could be learned by anyone w/ internet access and a couple weekends of reading.

 

[McChooky]

and yes, I linked a lot of my own posts - because they are easier to find, and are backed by links to the relevant studies or photo evidence, not because I consider myself an expert. The contents of the posts above could be learned by anyone w/ internet access and a couple weekends of reading.

Thank you!

 

[Wallygators]

I had chickens a very long time ago and never had the problems I seem to be having the last three years after getting chickens again. My first flock in 2023 started eating eggs and I did everything I possibly could. I bought rollaway nesting boxes, I stalked them. I removed any cracked eggs which was like battling vultures, as you know. I checked multiple times a day. But it got to the point that they stopped using the nesting box in order to eat the eggs. They would surround the laying hen and immediately eat her egg, shell and all. I gave them garden scraps and even grass and weeds that I gathered daily. Literally was cutting grass by hand to give them. So I raised a different flock and sold them to someone who had other chickens and a rooster.

I raised these 5 new hens and did the exact same thing. But because of the winter, they were just starting to give me 4 eggs per day. But I witnessed my only Easter Egger crack open an egg and they ate it just a few days ago. I was upset and figured they were bored because we had a huge amount of snow and they are enclosed by local ordinance and so I decided to toss out scratch more frequently, adding different things like cooked beans or whatever I had including some garden scraps because I’m still gardening indoors.

Mind you, I give them a feed that’s 16% protein. I make a homemade scratch mix for them adding spinach I grew and dehydrated specifically for them, oyster shell, split peas and all kinds of stuff including Black soldier Fly larvae. I even froze pumpkin seeds and skin for them for the winter. I usually toss out the scratch once a day and I give them food scraps a few hours later.

So yesterday as I went to give them another cup of scratch, I saw them eating an egg. I got the egg out as best as I could and today so far, I heard the sound of an Egg Layer, I decided to put two fake eggs in their run. I go out and there’s no egg and one of the fake eggs is also missing. The main one doing the egg cracking is my only Easter Egger and also the Head Hen and they are the only two out of all five that lays inside the nesting boxes. What do I do?? And what am I doing wrong??

I have a Dual Purpose Brown also laying a soft shell egg. I feed my chicks a 16% Protein Pellet feed I get at my local FF Store. I give Oyster Shells also. Does anyone give their girls a Calcium Pill supplement individually? I would get them at Walgreens.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I have a Dual Purpose Brown also laying a soft shell egg. I feed my chicks a 16% Protein Pellet feed I get at my local FF Store. I give Oyster Shells also. Does anyone give their girls a Calcium Pill supplement individually? I would get them at Walgreens.

I give mine flaked oyster shell and their own eggshells, and I occasionally give them my calcium/ vitamin D supplements, which are 600 mg Ca. I crush up two caplets and stir them into moist cat food, splitting it up among five girls. I do this maybe 2-3 times, every other day, and then quit unless and until there's a problem.

 

[Wallygators]

Thanks for your response, I also feed crushed egg shells, but very limited. I have my girls all banded with different color wire tie's, so I know who is laying the soft shell egg, that is why I want to treat that girl only. But I might try your idea and feed all my girls the 600mg Ca.

 

[NatJ]

Does anyone give their girls a Calcium Pill supplement individually? I would get them at Walgreens.

I see that recommended fairly often for egg-bound hens, and sometimes for hens that lay eggs with soft shells.

Here is an example of such advice in a different thread:

For the soft or shell-less egg, I would give her a human calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D by pulling down on her wattles, placing the tablet in the beak, and then releasing the wattles to swallow it. Do that for the next 7 days to see if she lays a normal egg with a hard shell.