egg eating

[walldanzig]

Hi All

My hens(one set of them) are eating eggs I've tried everything. Golf balls mustard eggs seperation nothing works. My next alternative is to cull the lot(5 of them) not an option I take easy but wanted to know what people thought or if there was any alternatives to the egg eating

[davefromthechipie]

Tryed dummy eggs ? collecting eggs 3 times aday or more if you can. if not try a roll away egg box .
Poultry houses | Nest Boxes
the same items can be found on ebay and other websites for more and less money, Just named that site as i used them .


just to say mustered eggs didnt work for me, they seemed to like it :P

[MaureenHall]

I think the majority of opinions would be culling, but I'd try lots of other things first. Have you tried roll-away nest boxes? Grabbing the eggs as soon as they're laid? Probably not a practical idea I know. Can't think of anything else you haven't tried at the moment, but good luck anyway

[Glutton4...]

I've been through this myself, last year. I had one persistent Hen that I caught, four days in a row, just standing there pecking open the newly-laid eggs in the nest-box - I dread to think how many eggs she'd had over the weeks. My Husband culled her, and I felt guilty for absolutely ages.

Recently, I was given a new book, you'll laugh; 'The Haynes Chicken Manual' and it's great - better than their Car Manuals, anyway! They suggest fixing strips of black plastic down over the front of the nest-boxes, to make a sort of screen. The Hen that's in there laying, is happy because it's dark and private, the Hens outside can't see the eggs, so don't go in after them.

I have had my 'curtain' up about a week, and so far so good! The strips are about 2cm wide, and made of plastic weed-suppressing membrane. I have roll-away inserts in the boxes, with a little bedding and a 'crock' egg at the front, so if anyone does pop their head in to peck, they don't get a reward. It has also stopped them sleeping in the nest-boxes at night, which means cleaner eggs too!

Good luck!

[walldanzig]

The problem I have is that a couple of them dont lay in the nest box they go for a corner then when I get there occasionaly an egg but always a wet patch where the egg has been sometimes a broken egg. I have seen them do it as well and there is more than one.

[Suechooks]

Are you sure there isn't one laying a soft egg? Unusual for them to eat the shell too just leaving a wet patch. Are they older birds/ex-batts? My older birds occasionally do this so I give cod liver oil and extra limestone flour just to the old girls 3 or 4 times a week and it seems to sort the problem.

[mr darcy]

Are you sure there isn't one laying a soft egg? Unusual for them to eat the shell too just leaving a wet patch. Are they older birds/ex-batts? My older birds occasionally do this so I give cod liver oil and extra limestone flour just to the old girls 3 or 4 times a week and it seems to sort the problem.

makes sense to me

[walldanzig]

No deffo not I have seen the shell on occasion and had pecked eggs around the place

[winstonwobble]

Couple of years ago mine started eating eggs tried everything had to go to chicken heven in the end coldnt risk all of them starting it better to lose a few than the whole lot

[RichmondHens]

Are they penned or free range? Some hens will start up the habit out of boredom, and then as you have found out, it is a hard habit to break. Free range hens are less likely to egg eat as there are more exciting things to do outside.

It sounds like you have tried all the usual options - mustard eggs, separation etc. Other than roll away nestboxes, there is not much more you can do.

[walldanzig]

I was thinking the same I will give them a month then alas I may have no choice

[Glutton4...]

Do try the roll-away trays - they're less than a fiver each I think. I wish I had known about them before I had one of mine culled. You can get them on eBay.

[walldanzig]

one roll away nest box purchased here goes

[Glutton4...]

one roll away nest box purchased here goes

Great, got any fake eggs/golf balls? Good luck!

[Scottishnewbie]

oh i feel so sorry for you as we had this last year (thread on the subject) and tried everything mentioned above -including the roll away box. my girls free range so it wasnt boredom or lack of food. i think they just got the taste and decided they liked it! i even watched them standing around whenever one went in to lay and then all heading in to eat the 'spoils'. they ate egg shell and all. tried limstone flour, the lot!

we waited for weeks and weeks in the hopes that things would change. they didnt and in the end we had to cull. i felt so terrible but knew we couldnt get any more hens or else they'd just be taught by the others. and buying my eggs in the supermarket one week was just the last straw!

hope you find a way to stop it but from experience i wasnt able to.