For the last few days when I go out to feed, I found broken eggs. First I thought there was not enough hay in the boxes, so I loaded them full yesterday. Today I went to get the eggs, and I found the only egg and it had a hole about the size of my thumb and the egg cleaned out.
I have two hens laying (on and off) and 2 young hens and 2 young roos. The young ones were born in May. Now I am frustraited cause I have not had fresh eggs in a week. This is the third time I have found broken eggs, the other days I am assuming the girls were hot and did not lay. There is no way anything can get into the coop, I have checked all around.
Thanks for all the knowlage you all have given me, I hope someone can help cause I miss my fresh eggs.
Chickens eating eggs???
mj,
Not sure the answer, but here is what I found through the university:
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/poultry/factsheets/33.html
It sounds like you have egg-eating chickens. Maybe only one of them--but the others may learn from her or him and you will lose all your eggs. It seems to be a pretty common problem. I've heard that you should collect the eggs regularly or set it up so the eggs roll down a sort of gutter as soon as they are laid so the hen can't get them.
I know other people have had this problem and can give you more and better advice. Maybe it is something else?
I read about a trick for egg eating chickens - not sure if it will help. They said to blow the insides out of the egg shell, and re-fill it with strong mustard or salt. It also said that it might take a few times to get the message through, but it would supposedly work. I have not had this experience but that is what I read in one of my chicken keeping books. Good luck with it!
Claire
you might also consider that as an insticnt they will eat anything broken. so next egg you get, broken or not, check the density of the shell and membrane. they may need more calcium, or they may need more protein in order to absorb their calcium. could be they are stepping on them [only takes ONE clumsy hen] and they break too easily. also ,you could file down their nails in the meantime. is it possible to slant the tray they sit on towards the back and pull it forward leaving a gap? the egg will just fall to the box below, which you can block off. then you can tell by the fall if the shells break easily or not... with the egg falling down they will not have a chance to peck it or step on it...
Oh stepping on it, I never thought about it. The shells are hard, when I grounded it into the ground it took awhile to break down. I will look at thier feet and see if they need a chicken pedicure... do I use a reg nail file or a peice of sandpaper. I will try and slope the box, not sure how I would do that but I can think about that, good project for the long weekend...
Thanks again wonderful people for your assistance... . I
if your light is to bright in the coop they will eat them . it happened to me . i put in a smaller light and they never ate anymore . i would have never guessed that but i read it on the net somewhere and its true
This message was edited Aug 30, 2008 10:47 PM
That makes a lot of sense, Ralph. When one of my chickens laid an egg on a bench, one of them pecked a hole in it, although none of them has done that in the dark nest box.