I have a hen that has been eating my eggs. I feed them early about 6:10 am daily. I don't get home from work until 6:00 pm. At that time I pick up the eggs. I have 18 laying hens I get between 3 to 7 eggs daily. I have not been able to find out what hen is doing the damage. Does anyone have any good answers, to correct the problem.
Hens eating egges
It may help to put a number of ceramic, decoy eggs in your nest boxes. She may lose interest if she bruises her beak a few times... or not.
Is the shell, white, yolk, or all three being eaten?
If there is any shell remaining, how thick is it?
How thick are the shells on the eggs you use?
Are you feeding a high quality layer ration? Three eggs on any day out of any flock of eighteen layers will not win any ribbons. How old are the ladies, any gentlemen?
I’m thinking, possibly a calcium deficiency. You might try feeding some oyster shells, changing feed companies (Compare feed content stickers attached to the sacks.), and feeding times.
We’ve never had this problem (knock, knock) but I’ve heard of it. We feed kitchen scraps (including egg shells which they eat) in the early morning and layer ration just before fly-up time.
During the summer, I usually gather eggs more than once a day–you have to stay ahead of the chicken (rat) snakes.
When you’re holding down a job, I know, homesteading duties can’t always be done just as we have them pictured.
You’ll just have to experiment with it. It could be boredom. Try to pick out the culprit and lean a chopping axe close by where she can see it. It'll give her something to think about besides egg-eating.
Nothing more frustrating than that. I only had it happen once. Got rid of her.
I suspect my silkies sometimes do the same. Might be my own fault for sometimes throwing the eggs in the yard to break them so they can eat them.
well for a start I would darken the nest. that helps usually. Anotherthing is if you have a rooster if he has long spurs he will sometimes break the egs with those while "making a nest" for his hens.
Throwing the eggs in the yard was a big no no,now they think they can eat eggs.Your lucky if u only have one that is doing it.Do u have somone that can come collect the eggs a couple times a day for you?Try putting golf balls in the nests so when they peck it an it won't break she might give up but I doubt it.I have also heard about blowing out an egg and filing it with mustard and when they try to eat that they will stop.You will will probably have to take her out of the flock as it is hard to break them once they start and they will teach the others to do the same.Good luck