y do i find half eaten eggs in the boxes?

[bratgirlof4]

can anyone tell me how i can get my hens to stop eating the eggs. its not an everyday thing but its kind of a pain to go out and see half gone eggs in the boxes and the 4-5 eggs in a nother box not even messed with? my hens are 8 monthes old or so.im have great laying hens and now they are eating the eggs. could it be we are in are winter and they are board lol. can anyone help me

 

[debid]

Before you blame the chickens, take a look at the security situation. Do you have any openings to the coop/run that are the size of a quarter or larger? If so, it's probably rats. If you're using 2x4 wire or there are other, larger openings around the gate or something, there are a number of other egg-eaters that could be sneaking in (opossum, skunk, jays, weasels, etc.) So, unless you have that coop secured with small-hole hardware cloth all around or you've actually seen a hen eating eggs, I wouldn't be so quick to presume it's the chickens. Time to do some detective work.

 

[bratgirlof4]

thank you ill make a good look around.

 

[WestVermont]

Also try collecting your eggs more often. This may allow for less time for an egg eater to get to eat an egg if it is the chickens.