Egg eaters

[petal]

How can you tell if chickens have turned into egg eaters?

[Two_Sheds]

empty shells in the coop?

[davefromthechipie]

You need to get up early and watch them , But Chickens will eat broken eggs so if ones laying soft ones/broken they do get eated I was told they do it to stop pets/rats etc.. coming into the house for food . Then you do get the odd chick that just eats them for the feed .blowing eggs then filling with mustard & placing back in the house , some say it works , Still getting the eggs as they lay is the best option

[Poultrykeeper]

It's a difficult one to stop once they get the taste... but yes, you will normally see a few bits of broken egg shell and usually the nest will have some residue of egg stuck to the bedding / floor of the box.

A Mustard filled egg is a great idea as davefromthechipie says but often if you can remove the eggs as soon as they are laid, often enough they have nothing to eat and will usually forget about eating eggs and get on with finding food outside the house.

Good Luck!

[petal]

No residue of egg, no broken shells left. I have penned my best egg layers in a vermin proof run and interestingly they are on full lay again. My mum said stoats will take eggs and I was to look around the hedges for evidence of their meal.

[Snadger]

I often have a broken egg which makes a right mess of the other eggs. I think that it's just a thin shelled egg layer among them.....which is strange cos the rest are realy thick egg shells.
I'll give them some oyster shell tomorrow methinks and replemish there sand pit!