What would you do with an egg eater?

[rilly10]

Other than my silkies and showgirls I have a small mixed layer flock that consitsts of hatchery birds. I have two polish, one BR, one Del, and one SS. Just two days ago I noticed someone ate an egg. The next day I caught the Del in the act so she is now seperated in isolation. Since being alone (although only one day) no more eggs have been damaged. I am really hoping no one else learned this behavior.

So now, what to do with her? I don't really want to give her away b/c unless someone has a roll away nest box, she will ruin their eggs and possibly teach their flock a bad habit. I am thinking of just culling her, but hate to waste a bird. Hubby will do it (he is a hunter and fam boy so no issues there). I would like to eat her at least but don't know how tough she will be? SHe is a year old. Also, hubby is not thrilled with butchering only one bird at a time, but she is really the only one. He said it's a lot of effort for just one bird.

What would you do with her?

Also, should I up the protein for the rest of the flock to be safe? Right now they get Layena and BOSS. Strach is added in the winter. They also get veggie trimmings when I remember. They don't free range, but have a nice run. Prob don't get too many bugs though. We have hawks like crazy here so I am too nervous to let them out.

 

[stuckinthecity]

It sounds like their diet isn't lacking protein. I think it might have been just a bad habit started. About the hen- I would definitely butcher her and eat her. You might wanna let her sit in the fridge for a few days before cutting her up and cooking her though (gets some of the "tough" out).
What dish do you think you'll use her for? Just curious.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I ate my egg eater. It was a sure solution. Some people try various other things but I think you are taking a chance of her teaching the habit to others.

Don't worry about cooking her. There are many recipes on this site and on the internet on how to cook older chickens. The secret is to cook her slowly, in a crock pot, in a 325 degree oven, or even on top of the stove but with moisture. If you cook in a stew, for example, never let the water boil hard, just a slow simmer. The meat will not have the taste or texture of those 6 to 8 week old chickens you buy processed at the store, but if you cook it long, slow, and with moisture, it can be very tender and have a great taste.

You can up the protein if you wish, but what probably happened is that an egg got broken somehow and she learned from eating that cracked, broken egg. Maybe it hit a sharp edge in the nest or maybe was laid from the roost. Maybe one scratched it out of the nest when she was adjusting the bedding and broke it. Lots of ways an egg can get cracked or broken. I'd suggest looking at your egg shells to see how thick they are more than worrying about protein. If the egg shells are thin, they can crack easily. You may need to offer oyster shell.

Good luck! At least you know which one it is and you caught her before she taught the others.

 

[Mahonri]

I would cull.

 

[rilly10]

Thanks for the replies! Stew does sound good! Too bad she was one of my favs. At least she won't go to waste! I hope it is as easy as butchering a goose. Hubby is used to geese!

 

[dawg53]

Chicken n' dumplings sounds good!

 

[Pele]

I'm glad I saw this topic as I just read about egg-eating solutions in CHicken magazine! They suggested a really neat trick that involved emptying an egg and filling it with mustard. Apparently chickens HATE mustard (who knew). Since you have your hen in isolation, you can plant eggs filled with mustard and let her teach herself her own lesson.

I think it's at least worth a try before culling since you mentioned she's your favorite.