What to do about chickens eating eggs?!

[Sunnymommy]

Then I doubt you have egg eating chickens, they always leave a wet spot.

I guess it would be hard to tell with the litter (hay, leaves, etc) in the bottom of the boxes. Also when they were laying outside the boxes wouldn't know where to look for wet spot

 

[aart]

I guess it would be hard to tell with the litter (hay, leaves, etc) in the bottom of the boxes.

It can be, it's always been pretty obvious here tho, I use pretty deep straw in nests....good time to stick your hand down there, stir things around and check tho.

 

[Grits&Eggs]

i thought mine were eating the eggs and found out they were, eating the shellless ones - so I added more calcium. And, my husband built a roll away - love it, so easy to collect.
(see the right side of the coop pic)

 

[amoeba]

I had a chicken start doing this, so I poked a couple little holes in an egg, blew the contents out, and filled it with watered down dish soap (I've also heard of doing this with mustard, but haven't tried it). I put it back in the nest and she went for it, discovered it was nasty, and stopped. I left out nasty eggs like this for a couple days and she stopped even trying.

Good luck, I hear it can be a hard problem to fix.

 

[50-45-1]

HUNGER OR THIRST: make sure there is a good supply of well balanced feed avaliable with an adiquate level of protein. Sometimes 2 feeding stations are better as one hen may be bullied away from eating or drinking.
NEST BOXES: not having enough nest boxes leads to possible egg breakage and then may lead to egg eaTing. Also try to make nest boxes dark, they cant eat what they cant see, try curtins. Having fake eggs or golf balls may help as they try to peck those and give up on the whole idea.
Roll away nests will solve it if your situation allows.
BOREDOM AND SPACE: crouding chickens leads to many bad behaviors including egg eating. Confined chickens with nothing to do may also start this bad habbit. Enlarge your run, and introduce things in the run to occupy there time. There are lots of great ideas on this website.
Once a hen has this habbit, if you can single out which one or more it is, you may put on chickens blinders for a time on the bad hen to break her.
Good luck!

 

[aart]

I put it back in the nest and she went for it, discovered it was nasty, and stopped.

I've read placing a 'special' egg like this out on the coop floor can bring the egg eater out of the crowd. BUSTED!

 

[Naser]

Make sure their diet contains enough protein, put oyster shell available all the time, be sure they have enough water. Then put a cloth as a curtain at the entrance of the nesting boxes to make them dark, if they can't see the eggs they will not eat them, I found the cloth also helps to prevent crows eating the eggs "provided they haven't tasted them yet".
Crows and magpies don't get into a place if they can't see their back.
Slit the cloth in two pieces so hens can go between them

 

[RoosterML]

Thanks for help with detective work. But I'm not seeing any suggestions how to stop egg eating..

When I read this I think WOW how rude can one be. It's called question and answer so "they" can help find a solution. You can't really solve a problem by not knowing more facts. Here is a suggestion to stop the egg eating. Chop chop and chop until it stops. See guaranteed results.
If you were not being condescending in your response please accept my apologies.

 

[50-45-1]

I had a egg eating hen once. There was no egg on her face that clued me it was her. I found out by turning over the feed bucket and sitting in my coop and observing.
She was 1 of a group of 6 i rehomed from craigslist, her name was Sunny, and she was the most beautifil hen i had. I would not cull her.
I put 3 golf balls in each nest and i think fruitlessly banging on those discouraged her.
I free range and eventually i lost her.
If i had another egg eating hen now, i would put pinless peepers on her. That would stop it.
I hope you have gotten some ideas to help with your situation.
Good luck!

 

[Gray Farms]

Take a couple of their eggs.
Poke small holes in each end of the eggs and blow them out.
Fill with yellow mustard "syringe makes this much easier".
Place eggs back in the nest.

This has worked every time for stopping egg eaters in my barn.