Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[fujcube]

Hi all,

 

I currently have 9 hens and all has been well until a couple of weeks ago when I started finding the odd egg on the floor of their coup or on the roof where they roost. Almost all of them were cracked and had what I thought was a hole where one of them had pecked at it.

 

Today, when i went to feed them and collect any eggs, I noticed that apart from the 2 whole eggs, there was also the remains of another that had been broken, on purpose or by accident, and most of the contents and shell were missing.

 

I suspect that one of them has developed a taste for the eggs and I am desperate to find the culprit before they are all at it. Would welcome all your suggestions on how to catch the culprit and what I should do about it.

 

All my hens are fitted with bumper bits except my RIR, she has a beak ring fitted. Trying to get them all to regrow their tail feathers.

 

Regards

[Ewsee]

Hello

 

Some of the reasons could be:

Have you ever fed your hens cracked egg shell before? as if you have the hens think that their laid egg is food...

Do your hens have enough food, you mentioned that you had nine hens, is there enough food for all?

Do your hens have grit/oyster shells to munch on?

 

You could try to take the eggs out asap.... ?

There is not really any thing that you can do, I think it is probably a habit, my hens used to do it, but that was because they nibbled the egg shell I put around the Hosters. Then my hens just one day stopped. They could be standing on the eggs by mistakes. I'll read up about it for you.

Hope they get out of it.

[fujcube]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

I have never fed my hens eggs shells and there is always plent of food available in their coup. They have the run of the garden and all the bugs that brings so I don't really think it is 'starvation'.

 

They are fed daily on Layers Pellets mixed with crushed oyster shell. They also get a few handfulls of mixed corn and a bag of curly kale as a treat once or twice a week.

 

Eggs are removed asap but it is possible that they break them by accident as they do tend to be a bit rough in the nesting box prior to laying, everything has to be just right!!

 

Regards

[Sageandonion]

Hello

 

There are some tips in the Haynes Chicken manual for dealing with egg eating. It recommends keeping the nest box very dark - black bin bag cut into ribbons secured over the entrance. Also using crock eggs in the nest box so that they tire of pecking and getting nothing.

[Ewsee]

Hello

 

It seems as though that you are doing every thing right, hopefully they will peck less and less eggs...

If you put foil in the egg laying nest, the hens don't like the feel on their feet. I know this works when they are broody, but if you put it in the nest area, then they wont want to sit their for long, so that could mean they don't have time to peck it?

 

This could work. Do the hens have an outside space? because when I let mine out of the eglu run , they don't want to spend long laying an egg, so they might not want to eat it...

Also If you put golf balls, or fake eggs in the night, they will peck and not get food... this too could work. Give them treats when they don't do this....

 

Hope this helps..

[chuckmum6]

If you can blow an egg and filling with mustard or the like they will soon decide that eggs are bad! I had to do this with one flock I had many year ago, I had to add a bit of chilli powder as they seemed quite keen on mustard!

[Sue]

Try putting a "sacrificial egg" down on the floor of the run or in a nest box when you have time to stand and watch them, and see if one (or all) run to eat it.

 

All the best

Sue

[fujcube]

Hi,

 

Since my last post, there have been no further instances of 'egg eating'. I think it's possible that the eggs have either been broken accidentally or that something else has been in helping themselves as I have found bits of shell where it's impossible for the hens to get access to. Think I will get the traps and peanut butter out!!

 

Regards, fujcube