Yolk on eggs? Eating them? How to get them to stop???

[kara_leigh]

I have a hen laying on some fertile eggs, and today I went to candle them and they are all covered in yolk!! I have been getting the same number of eggs every day, but could they possibly be eating eggs? I'm not sure how they managed to get the yolk on the eggs she was laying on, since the only time she was out of the coop today was when I fed them and they were ALL out of the coop, and once done she went right back in. She is sitting on them on the floor of the coop. That is where she chose to make her nest and I can get her to move, but the other chickens don't mess with her so I don't bother anymore.

Anyway...if they are eating eggs, how do I get them to stop?? Is that possible? I accidentally dropped an egg while collecting eggs a week or so ago, and they all devoured it, so I'm afraid they have the taste for eggs now.

I'm lucky they didn't eat one of the fertile eggs...at least this time.

 

[Coffeemama7]

I hope someone answers you!
We have found eggs in the nest boxes with yolk on them too! I figured the eggs were breaking when the hens were sharing boxes. Then once broken they are eating the broken ones.
We have had an egg pecker in the past, but she's gone. But she just pecked a hole in a few eggs each day. Oh, what a bother it was!

 

[brahmapapa]

I have a hen laying on some fertile eggs, and today I went to candle them and they are all covered in yolk!! I have been getting the same number of eggs every day, but could they possibly be eating eggs? I'm not sure how they managed to get the yolk on the eggs she was laying on, since the only time she was out of the coop today was when I fed them and they were ALL out of the coop, and once done she went right back in. She is sitting on them on the floor of the coop. That is where she chose to make her nest and I can get her to move, but the other chickens don't mess with her so I don't bother anymore.

Anyway...if they are eating eggs, how do I get them to stop?? Is that possible? I accidentally dropped an egg while collecting eggs a week or so ago, and they all devoured it, so I'm afraid they have the taste for eggs now.

I'm lucky they didn't eat one of the fertile eggs...at least this time.

a word to the wise directed to everyone, if you drop and break an egg, DO NOT allow them to eat it.......always clean it up or scuff it into coop litter so thoroughly that yhey can't get it otherwise they will get the taste for egg, and that can be the start of widespread egg eating.

 

[brahmapapa]

I have a hen laying on some fertile eggs, and today I went to candle them and they are all covered in yolk!! I have been getting the same number of eggs every day, but could they possibly be eating eggs? I'm not sure how they managed to get the yolk on the eggs she was laying on, since the only time she was out of the coop today was when I fed them and they were ALL out of the coop, and once done she went right back in. She is sitting on them on the floor of the coop. That is where she chose to make her nest and I can get her to move, but the other chickens don't mess with her so I don't bother anymore.

Anyway...if they are eating eggs, how do I get them to stop?? Is that possible? I accidentally dropped an egg while collecting eggs a week or so ago, and they all devoured it, so I'm afraid they have the taste for eggs now.

I'm lucky they didn't eat one of the fertile eggs...at least this time.

if you haven't already, pencil mark your eggs to be hatched. they may eat a fertile one otherwise and maybe be laying a new egg. usually eggs heavily covered with yolk will nit be able to hatch as the yolk causes the egg not to be able to respirate and the developing chicks suffocate.

 

[kara_leigh]

Sorry I just saw the replies to this thead.

a word to the wise directed to everyone, if you drop and break an egg, DO NOT allow them to eat it.......always clean it up or scuff it into coop litter so thoroughly that yhey can't get it otherwise they will get the taste for egg, and that can be the start of widespread egg eating.

All of my chickens were under my feet when it dropped, and I had a shirt full of eggs so I wasn't able to stop them from eating it.

if you haven't already, pencil mark your eggs to be hatched. they may eat a fertile one otherwise and maybe be laying a new egg. usually eggs heavily covered with yolk will nit be able to hatch as the yolk causes the egg not to be able to respirate and the developing chicks suffocate.

I did pencil mark them. Two of the pencil marked ones have disappeared, but those were the two that I didn't think were fertile. The rest seem to have developed fine, and are set to hatch this weekend. I guess we will find out.

We lost 7 of our hens last weekend to a coyote, and I have found any yolk covered eggs since then, so I'm thinking that my egg eater was in that group. A blessing in disguise, I guess.

 

[brahmapapa]

Sorry I just saw the replies to this thead.
All of my chickens were under my feet when it dropped, and I had a shirt full of eggs so I wasn't able to stop them from eating it.
I did pencil mark them. Two of the pencil marked ones have disappeared, but those were the two that I didn't think were fertile. The rest seem to have developed fine, and are set to hatch this weekend. I guess we will find out.

We lost 7 of our hens last weekend to a coyote, and I have found any yolk covered eggs since then, so I'm thinking that my egg eater was in that group. A blessing in disguise, I guess.

sorry that you had to lose 7 hens to find the culprit. I understand that its difficult sometimes to prevent them from eating a dropped egg, but do the best that you can. good luck