Single hen

[JB09]

Hi,

 

I have had my two chickens since Thursday and all has been well. When letting the chooks out I eagerly open the egg port to see if our first egg has appeared. I have found nothing yet, so to my surprise when I was just cleaning out the eglu, at the bottom of the netting box i found a few tiny pieces of shell. The shredded paper I use in the nesting box seemed quite wet also? I could not find a broken egg, so wonder if they have perhaps eaten it? Has anyone else had a similar experience...

 

JB

[atsw]

First eggs can often have very thin shells, which an inexperienced hen can then step on while getting out of the nesting area. Unfortunately a lot of hens are attracted to a broken eggs contents, and once broken will often eat the yoke and white (and the shell in some cases too, it's a good source of calcium for future egg production).

 

Not much you can do at this stage, keep a close eye out over the next few days. If the hens are breaking the eggs, you may have to remove them from the box soon after laying to stop them getting a taste for eggs and deliberately pecking holes in the shells as they get older.

 

Andrew