Egg eater!

[bussinspain]

Help! What to do with a chicken (when I discover which one it is) who is breaking and eating eggs!!!!!!!!! 2 eggs in 2 days broken and eaten. This is a first for me (and them) They have calcium grit every week, a balance diet and fresh water and plenty of straw in the nest boxes.

[Guest]

How long have you had the birds? Is it unusual for them? Is it worth you upping their feed or is there plenty about?

[Scarlet]

Cut out the cat biscuits and all extra treats( sorry) - they need more protein. Feed only layers and a small handful of corn in the evening. Collect eggs as soon as they are laid, if that means going to check several times a day - do it. Once in the habit it's difficult to break and it spreads throughout your flock. Darken the nest box if you can.

[bussinspain]

Cut out the cat biscuits and all extra treats( sorry) - they need more protein. Feed only layers and a small handful of corn in the evening. Collect eggs as soon as they are laid, if that means going to check several times a day - do it. Once in the habit it's difficult to break and it spreads throughout your flock. Darken the nest box if you can.

Hi. Thanks for the feed back chaps The cat biscuits are for the extra protein (29%) as advised in GYO last year, other feed is a layers mix which includes pellets and corn, nest boxes are dark. This is a first for them - they will be 2 years old this summer. More frequent collection it is then - normally twice per day - first thing in the morning then at about 5.30pm.

[mothhawk]

Get them some oyster shell and give them back all your used eggshells (after baking them in the oven to make them bug-free). They are desperate for calcium - grit is not enough. They will soon stop breaking eggs if you provide extra calcium.

edit - think about it - they need a whole eggshell's worth of calcium every day - to make a whole eggshell

[ChrisMath88]

Try putting a few rubber eggs in the nest box and leave them there, the chickens try pecking them and obviously has no effect, in theory at least they get bored of trying and stop.... In theory

[bussinspain]

Going to town this morning with the dogs for their rabies jabs so will get some more calcium for them. I was giving them calcium (oyster shells) but then ran out and have not replaced it - my bad

[kathyd]

Are you sure it;s your birds eating them and not a rodent or something? Or a large wild bird like a magpie or a jay? I've heard these will steal from a coop once they learn they;re there.....

[bussinspain]

Seems that the girls were just being a bit clumsy and maybe just standing on the eggs. I now check for eggs 4/5 times per day just to be sure. Also I have bought them some more oyster shell. Problem solved for now. Kathyd - nothing can get in to steal the eggs - it is like a "Fisher Price Intelligence Test" for anything to get in let alone out of the run