Broken eggs

I have two coops of laying hens. After a long dry spell with no eggs due to molting,my birds finaly started laying again and I was getting a bumper crop of eggs to sell to my neighbors and at the farmers market. Now suddenly the coop with the older hens in it have started breaking and eating their eggs. If they lay 6,they break 4. What can I do to stop this?

P

Oh know, thats terrible. We also are have that problem, DH put one down the other day, she had egg on her face to many times now and still another one is doing the same thing. We havent figured out who she is yet. I started giving them hardboiled eggs thinking maybe thats what there lacking in there diet. Who knows maybe it will help. I hard boil my silkie eggs and just smash and put in the coop they love them. We give them oyster shells plus now the silkie eggs, will see what happens.

Cathy

Thank heavens I havent had any of my girls breaking eggs Yet! But some one suggested adding extra protein to their diet, so I grind up a good grade dog food and add it to their diet! So far No egg eaters!!!!

Eufala, Egg eating hens can be a problem. Often it equates to just being hungry. Hens need or want to eat ... usually more than they really need. I try to feed them in the morning and then afternoon. I have concluded that a home grown eggs cost me close to $5 a dozen. I can buy them for a dime each. I have 31 hens now and before long ..... I'll have none. I'm getting out of the eggs business. I moved on to a different chicken breed .... called Pit Game hens ..... fighting chickens. They forage far ...... fly really well and evade predators. They lay lousy. They are beautiful chickens. I figure since I don't have to feed them ..... the few eggs we eat are free. The breed does well with trees nearby to fly into in case of a dog or coyote attack. They need nesting places about 2 feet off the ground with access to the laying area remote enough to prevent a dog from plucking the hen out of the box and off the eggs/nest. The hens hatch 1-2 clutches of chicks in a summer of about 10 chicks each. Having biddies around beats having fresh eggs. In the fall we can begin to have roasted chicken or stewed or soups. Lately my feed bill has been up to $100 a month so this is not a bargain for eggs. If I sell half the eggs its still costs $10 a week to wash eggs for 5 minutes every day.

I've heard a lot of folks give dried cat food for added protein. I usually give mine a little something special first thing in the morning and the evening before locking up the coop.... that is in addition to keeping feeders full.

They do enjoy boiled and scrambled eggs and I always mash the shell up well...lol.

It's a shame but I'd put down an egg eater too, before you know it they'd all be fighting to break up the eggs. If one gets a "treat" it sends the rest into a frenzy...lol

Good luck

~Julie =0)

Well,that's not good news.

I'm trying to design a nesting box w/a slightly tilled floor so the egg rolls out into a covered tray that's lined w/ one of those foam weather proofing for water pipes,cut in half so the egg does break when it rolls down.

P

Sounds like a plan, bigred... If they can't get to the egg, they can't eat it! Let us know if this works. Sure beats putting down an otherwise good hen.

~~ Glenda

I'll post a picture once we get one built and let you know if it works.

P

I'd like to see it too. I've still got one hen that eats her eggs. I have her in another pen though, so the others haven't noticed her doing it.
Right now she's just a feed-burner, not earning her keep. Either I need to figure out how to get the eggs from her before she eats them, or fatten her up for the freezer.

I've got one coop w/ 11 hens(and 1 rooster) and I'm only get 5-6 eggs but I don't know which are the "feed burners".

P

I've heard that if you give the egg breakers fake eggs they eventually get sick of trying to break open the fake eggs
and leave the real eggs alone.caus ethey assume they won't break
I'm thinking of trying it on some of my problem children

photographer
you may want to try some of the other game breeds
Sumatras eat very little of my bought food
they freerange , roost in trees,stick together in a flock
will hatch out the babies well
lay real well
mothers are very protective
(I saw one of the hens kill a full grown polish who flared at her chicks,one hit,down he went,twitched a few time and died,no blood....not a mark on him)
one draw back is the males are multiple spurred,and many of the hens have spurs

and no stigma of the pit games,and not as aggressive

I've seen pics of some beautiful sumatra roos!!!

I thought about them but was worried they were aggressive.


~Julie =0)

I would like to see it too. Please...
Tracey

try making your nest darker we have had luck with that.
shannon