When you have a lot of hens, how do you catch

[Momagain1]

the egg eater??

out of about 20 eggs a day; about 6 are either "holed" or missing 1/2 the shell...

I have 29 hens, 1 roo.

I have 16 in another pen; no eggs there yet tho..not old enough..they have no access..so I guess
it really doenst matter I mentioned them huh? lol

sooo...I cant sit out there in the coop and watch them all..

what are the chances I have more than one??

 

[CapricornFarm]

Stick some golf balls in there and let them try to peck that. The other thing I have heard is blow out an egg and put in horseradish or hot sauce.

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

In my experience, my more dominant hens have been responsible for pecking the lesser hens eggs, not to eat them, just because they didn't want them in THEIR nest..

Silly chickens.

 

[Momagain1]

Quote:
I do have two golf balls in there; only cuz I feel bad that I take all their eggs and leave my broodies w/nothing..so I put the golf ball under the two broodies
as to not make them sad LOL...

 

[Momagain1]

I wish they made an ink; you could put on the hens beak and then when they
ate the egg or pecked at it...it would color the shell and we'd know what
hen it was lol...

 

[CapricornFarm]

Inject food color, just not red.;-)

 

[Momagain1]

Quote:
?? what do you mean inject food color???

 

[CapricornFarm]

Take an egg, poke a little hole in it with a needle. Suck out some white with the syringe. Fill syringe with food color. Inject into egg. Tape over tiny hole. Place egg back in nest with x on it so you don't gather it up by mistake. Your egg eaters will have colored faces, which is why you don't use red so they don't get pecked.

 

[Momagain1]

hmmm...ok...

that may work huh....

I think I'll have to do that w/a few eggs...cuz..we have lots of hens..soo...maybe put three out there or so?? in nest boxes...

great now I gotta figure out what color to use lol..
we have barred rocks, turkens (light), brahmas (white), black australorps...EE'ers....

(OMGosh if its "goldie" or Mr. The king roo..my kids are gonna absolutelly FLIP OUT..)..

 

[CapricornFarm]

I would think green or blue. Or some of each. Let me know how it goes;-)