Joanne_Money Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 Hi All, We have had our two hens now for a few years and i thought that i had come across everything, In till recently! For some reason one of the hens (Princess) our Ginger Nut Ranger has been eating her egg almost every day now! I have tried to stop it by collecting the eggs more often as they lay at different times, this has worked once or twice but can’t really tell when they both have laid as it varies. I notice that she pokes her head inside the house to see what’s in the nest and then she slowly creeps inside, i then ran out to distract her from the egg but she will not budge (normally she runs towards me) and i court her pecking the fully formed egg the crack it! I am going to try and cover the house to darken it she she will not be able to see the eggs but i dont know what else i could do to stop her. Its not like the egg is deformed or soft and she gets lots veg etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alet_chicken Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 It's a good idea to remove the temptation, as you are doing. Other things you could do to break the habit is to leave a fake egg in the nest (these are sold by poultry places, and used to show pullets where to lay), or fill an egg up with something that tastes really awful, such as mustard. I fear, once they have realised how good eggs taste, egg-eating is a really difficult habit to break. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicken bark Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 See if you can get a rollaway insert to fit in the nesting area? You could increase the protein in her diet in case it is that. Hope you can sort it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne_Money Posted September 6, 2010 Author Share Posted September 6, 2010 Thank you for suggestions! I have tried a mustard filled egg and she seems to still like eating it! It now looks like the other hen is joining in and eating the eggs with her. Mm....... I have a funny feeling this will not be easy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alet_chicken Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 Oh dear, it seems she is very determined. I wonder if hens can get indigestion?!? Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Oh no, I was going to suggest mustard eggs as this did the trick for me when I had an egg eater. I added a good dose of cayenne pepper too for added deliciousness! Perhaps fake eggs might be the answer for you as they might work out that they can't break them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krysia Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 I used chilli powder rather than mustard! worked a treat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 I heard someone made a "white pepper" egg and after her chicken ate it she ran off when she even saw an egg, even if she had just laid it herself Try that and post us with the results All the best Sue Dark Brown Eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
