stoice Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I've only got two girls (Getting 3 more when clocks go forward! ) Mabel, my bluebelle has been laying softies for weeks. She's wormed, has no mites that i can see, gets limestone flour or that liquid calcium supplement i can't remember the name of, has access to grit and is a generally chirpy chicken. Apart from the occasional time she feels rotten with a softy, they are usually just thinly shelled eggs as apposed to broken inside her. But as she lays them they are often trambled and then Gladys my ex-bat and Mabel both tuck in and mop up the broken egg. Mabel lays in the afternoon and as i'm at work all day i can't get the eggs away from them quick enough. This has now developed further. Gladys' eggs are now being pecked and eaten and I'm sure hers weren't as soft shelled even though she's a three year old ex-bat. I haven't had a complete egg from my girls in over a week although i do see the crumpled shell remains in their house. So i clearly have an egg eating problem. Has anyone been successful with the mustard/chilli plan of action? I'm also going to buy some rubber eggs in the hope they try and fail to peck those. They live in part of my shed so this could be an option although there's no guarantee they'd lay in it (As they sometimes change where they feel like laying) Any advice would be great. When i get my new three I'd like this problem sorted so they don't pick up bad habits. Stacey x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CluckyBucks Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Hello I have a hen that used to eat her own eggs and she kinda grew out of it. Ive never used anything to put her off, so maybe yours will grow out of it too? I hope you find a good solution. xx xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandychick Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I've not had this problem until this week - they were shut in their run for 3 days while the WIR was being done (wern't happy about it) and ate their eggs - they have been out the last 2 days and no egg eating now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted March 15, 2010 Author Share Posted March 15, 2010 Well i bought two plastic eggs over the weekend. They were white though so i painted them (Felt like Easter!) to look like the beige colour they usually lay. When i checked them the next day the paint had little chipped marks where the litle madams had been pecking the eggs I'm sure if i was just lucky but this morning was an untouched egg from Mabel! It was still warm so it was obviously an early laying but it's the first egg in ages. so maybe yours will grow out of it too? I'm not sure it's something they'll 'grow out of' CluckyBucks, i've had these two girls for years, it's a recent development. Fingers crossed the plastic eggs are working Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickyhazel Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 The plastic eggs are a great idea and should work a treat. You could paint something horrid tasting but not poisonous on them to really put them off. If you get softie eggs, try giving them cod liver oil and grit. Although the oil smells horrid the chickens don't notice and it works really well! Put it on treats, pellets or mash. Hazel, Ranger, Audi, Porsche, RIP Chestnut, +1 not named Noodle x1 x1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 You could try darkening the nestbox in some way, so that they can't see the eggs to eat them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy chickens! Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Did anything work? I've got this problem again - first started last summer, then she went off lay over the winter, but now she's laying and eating her own eggs again. She leaves the others' eggs alone so no good with false eggs, and have tried the various calcium supplements to no avail, but she's clearly got a taste for them. Any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beulah59 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 They live in part of my shed so this could be an option although there's no guarantee they'd lay in it (As they sometimes change where they feel like laying) Had trouble finding them on the websites they mention but did find them on Wells http://www.chicken-house.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww.chicken-house.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fss000001.pl%3fpage%3dsearch%26SS%3dchickbox%26ACTION%3dGo%2521%26PR%3d-1%26TB%3dA&WD=nest%20box&PN=Single_rollway_plastic_nest_box.html%23a1202#a1202 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alphabill Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Hi, I had a problem with an egg eating hen, it became an ingrained problem so I bought the rollaway nest box that you are looking at, unfortunately the hen died last week so i have a brand new nest box that i have no use for. I am not sure how we go about it but I am happy to sell it to you at a reduced rate, it seems a shame for it to go to waste. Anyway good luck with the china eggs. Catherine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
