Must sort out egg eater....

[Snadger]

I have an egg eater, only one I hope? It happened earlier in the year and after a couple of days sorted itself out. I reckon I'm losing half a dozen eggs a day through her/him so the culprit is for the chop.
The coop and run in question houses six ISA browns, two black Minorca's and a Light Sussex cockerel.
Tonight I mamnged to get a hold of one of the oldest chooks without getting attacked by the cockerel and have put her in a broody coop by herself with enough food and water added. She isn't happy and is acting stir crazy.
I have cleaned out the coops nest boxes,sprayed them with a strong solution of Armillatox & Zoflora and added new straw.
Broken eggs tomorrow will hopefully rule her out of the equation. I have no leg rings so wondered if zues clips would do if put on without tightening too much to mark her and move on to the next one. I am determined to get to the bottom of this and get rid of the culprit even if it means having to cull my beloved cockerel!

[vicky]

I'd be tempted to mark their feathers with something (food colouring?) as I went. What is a zues clip? Good luck finding the naughty one...

[Snadger]

I'd be tempted to mark their feathers with something (food colouring?) as I went. What is a zues clip? Good luck finding the naughty one...

Zues clip = cable tie!

Cable ties | Cable tie | Rapstrap | Velcro Ties

Tried marking feathers with a dab of paint once before and the others pecked the area until it was raw!

[Glutton4...]

Order some rings from eBay! I have a couple of egg-eaters again too. One of the silly wotsits sometimes lays on top of the nest box, the other morning I went in to find Asbo and three Girls scoffing at an egg. They got the yard broom up their collective chuffs!

Roll-away nest-boxes are the way to go. And, yes, you can get them on eBay too!

[its hilly]

Hmm, I'd be a tad wary of cable ties in respect of them being narrower width than leg rings, they would cut in easier if the hens got them snagged.
Why not good old plant twine? You know, that softish string you tie things back with. Should be tough enough for several days but would snap if caught on anything.

[RichmondHens]

I would mark them with something like food colouring or purple spray. I would not use anything on the legs unless it is a proper leg ring (we use the spiral ones which are nice and flexible but at the same time never come off).

[di]

My poor lil egg eater gave the game away when she greeted me one day with her normal welcoming cluck and a crusty yellow comb and beak....she looked so cute as she quite clearly didn't have a clue
Thankfully for us it was just a case of an odd egg being laid with an extra thin shell...still don't know if they were being intentionally broken or accidentally,but since the shells have toughened up the egg eating seems to have stopped.
Good Luck in finding your culprit.

[Nicos]

Purple spray a foot- it'll last a few days- and you can easily 'top it up' ( full of good deas me),,,and they certainly won't peck at it- that's what I put on psychochick's feet when as a chick he thought his own toes were edible

.....how are you getting on with the detective work Holmes?

[Snadger]

This is starting to turn out like the ryhme 'There's a hole in my bucket'.

With what shall I fix it..........dear snadge, dear snadge............with some string says its hilly, its hilly,its hilly.
Why not purple spraaaaay says, says Nicos ,Says Nicos,says Nicos?

So where do I buy spray says Snadger, says Snadger???????

[julesapple]

You can get it from Ebay, but it'll take a few days in the post. I got mine from our local agri place, but it was in the equine section, not the poultry section.

Jules

[Suechooks]

Anywhere that sells horse stuff - its Gentian violet spray, an antiseptic.

[BUFFS]

we have been lucky so far,with the soft shell eggs,the birds seem to just walk thru it and then basically ignore it,well theres a plus,something we dont have to worry about

[Snadger]

More complications.............

After having no eggs apart from broken ones in the coop for a week, tonight I gathered four unbroken ones and no shells or yolk/whites were lying around.
That was lucky says I, I've managed to sort out the egg eater at first go!
Went to get lone chook in broody coop and lo and behold......she'd layed an egg.........a sound unbroken one?

Ideas on a postcard please to snadge, careof, the scratching head, non understanding brigade...........................

[frias]

Don't know how true this is but I was told by a breeder that egg eaters don't usually eat their own eggs.
As for rings, when I first got my ex-batts I put coloured electrical tape around their legs so I could tell the difference. Folded back on itself so no sticky touches the skin. Worked really well as doesn't cut into leg and is easily removed.

[Snadger]

Don't know how true this is but I was told by a breeder that egg eaters don't usually eat their own eggs.
As for rings, when I first got my ex-batts I put coloured electrical tape around their legs so I could tell the difference. Folded back on itself so no sticky touches the skin. Worked really well as doesn't cut into leg and is easily removed.

Good idea frias!