Chicken pecking

[Couperman]

Whilst we were sat gazing at our hens this afternoon, Flurry (I think) decided to drop an egg in the middle of the run!

I turned out to be a softy which broke on impact, the rest of the gang then turned into a frenzied mob and greedily scoffed it in seconds!

We have had a few softies before but they usually are laid on the roosting bars and fall through where they can't be scoffed.

 

Is there any way we can encourage the chooks to lay in the nestbox?

 

I will add some poultry grit to their feed tomorrow to see if this helps.

 

I am just worried that they get a taste for eating hard eggs too.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Kev.

[ali-s]

Try putting a plastic or china egg, a golf ball or a smooth roundish stone in the nestbox. The golf ball trick worked for my chickens

 

I put a seperate bowl of poultry grit in the run so the chickens can peck at the grit as and when they need it.

[Jules.]

It's interesting what you say about this soft egg being laid in the run. We have had 3 soft eggs so far, & they have all been laid in the run- I wonder if the hen knows that the egg is "not quite right" before she lays it?

[Couperman]

I think you have a point ther Jules,

 

We have had four softies so far and none have been in the nesting box.

The other three have been laid on the roosting bars.

 

Kev

[Gallina]

I have watched my hen lay soft eggs, and I don't think she has any choice where she lays them. She suddenly doubles up in pain, and out it plops.

 

The hens eat the soft eggs, but have never touched eggs with shells. They are not too bright and don't see the connection.

[Christian]

2 of ours have been laying softies for a while, but they always lay them on the roosting bars/in the droppings tray. I suppose they know that it feels different?

 

The pellets that Omlet supply contain more than enough calcium, but you could try adding some crushed oyster shell to give them a calcium boost.

[Guest]

Josie Jump has laid three soft eggs in 24 hours up here at the Balamory House - they've been gobbled up pretty quick by Josie and eadie, while the hard shelled egg in the nest box, laid by Eadie has been left - i think it's instinct for them to eat the softies, to cover their tracks so to speak.

[Rhapsody]

Are you giving them oystershell as well as grit? I was advised to feed this alongside the grit as the calcium content is much higher. Also I recycle the calcium in the eggshells by crushing them and adding to a porridge made of bread and water. The chooks love it and it stopped my Bluebelle laying softies.

Hope that was of some help....