gavclojak Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I am horrified, I thought my two and a half year old ex commercial girls were coming to the end of there egg producing life, from four girls I am getting one egg every few days if I'm lucky. Well oveR the last few days the nest box has been messy, I thought one of the girls had the trots so cleaned it out accordingly but today the evidence was overwhelming....I found an egg with a peck hole! Popped it on the floor for a sec while picking up something else and that was it, the girls rushed over and went crazy at it! Then this evening found a shell in the nest box....am not happy!! I can do the obvious and retrieve the eggs ASAP when I am home but when at work I can't do it. Does the mustard egg work? Will it hurt them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Worth a try, I give mine natural yogurt once a week (perhaps 2=3 dollops for the first week) and a dollop of cod liver oil which helps their bodies absorb the calcium so this fab forum told me and it has worked.....so my present egg eater gets her calcium from the yogurt and doesn't egg eat. Yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Zolcal-D is a Calcium and vitamin D supplement a vet prescribed recently for soft shelled eggs. That is the problem basically. Hens will often tap their eggs after laying to check the shell quality. If the shell is too thin their beak goes through it and that can be when the egg eating starts. Mustard in eggs I have heard discussed many times. Whilst it sounds awful to us hens seem to like it, so all that does is fuel the egg eating habit. I have never heard of it stopping egg eating. Pot eggs do work though and we have used them several times. One of our nest boxes has a pot egg in it all the time and since then the egg eating has stopped. They must bash the egg until they have a headache! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 Thank you beantree, your advice is, as always invaluable. I think your right, the egg shell quality has been poor of late which I put down to their age so will try a supplement. I will also worm them, they are due next month but won't hurt to do it earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Making the nest boxes darker can help, this can cure egg eating completely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted June 1, 2014 Author Share Posted June 1, 2014 Thanks redwing, I will try that too. I bought a pot egg yesterday and popped it in the nest box and have had 2 eggs today:) don't want to count my chickens....poor pun:)) Wow another egg so that makes 3....but I dropped it:( and all of them tried to get to it so I guess that didn't help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
