Chicken boarders

[HettieHen]

Currently some of our hens are eating their own eggs. We try and collect them during the late morning. However, you have to be there within minutes of them laying, otherwise they have already tucked in.

 

Does any one have any advice on how we can break this habit?

 

Thanks

[kittyl]

I've heard this is a difficult habit to break & some keepers cull the hens that do it, so try & stop it asap.

Years ago my mum blew an egg & put mustard inside it & put it back in the nest, that's an old fashioned

remedy but I don't remember if it worked, I've read of collecting the eggs straight away and putting china

eggs or golf balls in their place for a while. Also it can be caused by the hens having calcium or protein

deficiencies. good luck

[Jofitch31]

Hi - did you have any success with this? One of my 2 girls has started eating the eggs this week and unfortunately because I'm work for 12 hours a day, by the time I get home to collect the eggs she's already completely snaffled at least one of the 2. I've gone from 13 or 14 eggs a week to 6 if I'm lucky! I don't want to start wasting eggs by filling them with mustard etc if it's not going to work - I don't have that many anymore!! They free range all day in my 100-foot long garden so I don't think it's boredom, and they have constant access to their layers' pellets, grit, water etc, as well as frequent snacks of mixed corn, mealworms, tomatoes and anything else they can get hold of!

Grateful for any advice.

Thanks!

Jo.

[Purplemaniacs]

I wonder if the ones that are being eaten have shells that are a poor quality?

 

I found that this was the case, when the shell quality was better they didn't eat the eggs, we did

 

Chrissie

[daisyisarobot]

Our girls have started doing it too, or at least one of them. They have lots of space, grit, food...

 

Any more advice? We've just stuck golf balls in the nest boxes. Hope that works. We've only had 1 egg in the last 2 days. I don't want to have to buy some!