4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Sarahsausage]

My hubby discovered today that it is Betty that is the naughty one breaking and eating Gwen's eggs! Betty had been laying softies for quite a while and I can only assume that's how she's acquired a taste for egg (she isn't laying at all now). This morning OH watched through the window until Gwen (who is the only layer at the mo) came out of the coop so he could go and collect her egg before it was eaten, then he saw Betty rush into the coop as soon as Gwen came out, he ran down the garden (in his PJs) and opened the nest box lid only to find Betty happily tucking in to Gwen's egg! The little !

 

Has anyone any tips on putting Betty off eating eggs? I've heard mixing some mustard in with the egg will put her off but that seems a bit drastic to me!

[l_ouise]

I'm new to chickens, but i was wondering if maybe the reason she is laying softies and the reason she is eating eggs is the same thing - a nutritional imbalance.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

It can be quite a hard habit to break . Mustard is certainly one way (I've used it!) or getting pot eggs and putting them in the nestbox so they hurt their beaks when they peck at them.

 

Have you tried limestone flour to sort the soft shells out? It can work but sometimes hens are just prone to laying softies.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I can't help you with the egg eating problem, but one of my girls has recently started laying a few softies. I feed them all ex batt crumb and they have access to mixed oystershell and flint grit all the time. They have very little by way of treats - just a daily handful of greens, that's it. It's only Rosie laying the softies so I guess either her own calcium stores are depleted or she can't metabolise the calcium in food so easily any more.

I've bought some calcivet which is a liquid calcium supplement that you give 5 days a week (apparently you mustn't give it every day). I just put a few drops - less than 1/4 teaspoon - onto something tasty such as a grape or a small piece of bread so I know that Rosie is getting the medicine and not the others as they don't need it. *Touch wood* so far this has sorted out the softies so maybe it would help your Betty?

[Sarahsausage]

Oo thanks Lavenders, where can you buy calcivet please? Chemist? I've tried limestone flour but that doesn't seem to have much of an effect, I think Betty's just getting 'old' as she's an ex-batt that I've had for 18 months. Egg problems are always a worry though as I've lost two hens through being egg bound.

 

I think I'll try the pot egg suggestion though, might put her off trying to crack open eggs, the little tinker, I had to buy eggs last week for goodness sake!

[Lavenders_Blue]

Hi Sarahsausage, I don't know whereabouts in Lincs you are, but if you're near Stamford I bought mine in SAPS. You'll find it in the caged bird section rather than the poultry section. It was £7.50 for 100ml but you only use approx 1ml at a time 5x per week so it should last a little while. It contains magnesium and vit D as well as the calcium as I think they all work together to help the calcium be absorbed? I believe you can also give a dose to egg bound birds to help with their contractions but there's nothing on the bottle about that, so don't take that as gospel!

If you're not near Stamford I could always post some on to you if that helps? Hope you get it sorted out.