The Poultry Keeper

KevinF · Joined: 08 May 2005 Posts: 5 Location: Hungerford, UK

'Morning folks -

Just registered here having given up on an Internet search on what to do with a hen that eats its eggs.

She's a 25 week old Warren, one of a pair that we have in a good sized ark, moved every day onto fresh grass.

The pair get layers' pellets, fresh water and plenty of greenery every day.

I've tried using the search facility on this site but failed miserably. I imagine there's a lot of wisdom to be had on the problem of egg eating -- if only I could work out how to drive the search facility!

Any help gratefully received.

Knobby · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 9:50 am Post subject:

I had this happen to me....it took a lot of time to stop her eating the eggs........does she just eat her own ? has it been going on for long ??

Hello by the way !!!! Very Happy

pollypekin · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 183 Location: Kent

I have heard people say you can put something hot, like mustard, chilli powder, etc, in the egg, the hen will soon get the message and not touch the eggs anymore Surprised

Try and take the eggs away as soon as they are laid, could try putting rubber eggs in the nestbox - they will try to peck these, but not get anyway, then might leave the real eggs alone Very Happy

Perhaps they're bored - give them peck a block, hang cabbages etc in the run for them to peck at, cd's is another good one to hang up,
Hopefully, someone else will be along, good luck, sally xxx

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

Hi Kevin

I seem to recall someone saying blow an egg and fill it with something that they don't like the taste off

Don't know if it would work though

Hopefully someone will have some words of wisdom

All the best
George

Knobby · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 9:55 am Post subject:

Lots of grit too....can make the shells more tough so its more difficult to break !!

nigel · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 10:11 am Post subject:

Hi Kevin,

Traditional wisdom suggests it can be a hard habit to break. I'm guessing since she's 25wks old she's not been in lay long. Does she lay in the nestbox?

Sorry this may seem like 20 questions Sad

If possible try and remove the eggs soon after laying, I know this isn't always an option if like me you work office hours.How dark are your nestboxes? You could try making them darker by adding a curtain across the entrance, this may help. Another trick is to replace the real eggs with porcelain or plastic ones, even ping pong balls, the idea being that if hens can't break them they get bored and give up trying. I don't really recommend the adding of mustard or chilli to eggs to try and put them off, in my experience hens have very little sense of taste. You can also get 'roll away nest boxes' from Wells Poultry Housing. I think he also sells them on EBay - http://tinyurl.com/76ha8 - these do exactly what the name suggests the eggs roll out of harms way to be collected later.

Hope this helps

Nigel

Lisa · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 10:13 am Post subject:

to the forum Kevin! Sorry to hear about your egg eating problem Sad

AFAIK chickens don't taste things in the same way as we do, so it is unlikely the hot stuff approach will work.

The is a nice article about egg eating here that explains why it can start and how it spreads:

http://www.plamondon.com/faq_misc.html

I have heard a lot of people have had success with fitting something over the front of the nest boxes to make the area much darker. A cheap and durable option (if they are the right size for your nest boxes) are rubber car mats fixed on the front. These are cut into thin vertical strips to make a curtain that the chickens can push through (maybe with a little bit cut away so the chickens can still the next box is still there!).

Another option would be to fit roll-away nest boxes. If the eggs aren't available, they can't eat them! These can be bought online here:

http://www.chicken-house.co.uk/rollaway_nestboxes.htm

Hope that helps.

Do let us know how you get on and what you find works for you Smile

Lisa

nigel · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 10:27 am Post subject:

Thanks for posting the link on egg eating Lisa, I hadn't seen that before - good stuff.

Nigel

NannyP · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 10:28 am Post subject:

Hi Kevin, welcome and thanks for asking. They're such a wise lot, aren't they?
Well done for proving it Laughing

KevinF · Joined: 08 May 2005 Posts: 5 Location: Hungerford, UK

All -

Many thanks to you for the warm welcomes and for the advice.

Neither of these hens lay in the laying compartment, preferring to lay where they roost - an area we have covered with regularly changed wood chips.

Both hens tend to lay early morning. I rise at about six and there's invariably one egg there already. It gets removed immediately. Second eggs gets taken pronto also, if I get there in time....

I'm going to try three things today:

Replace straw in the laying comparment with wood chip.
Place porcelain egg in laying compartment.
Talk to hens - then go for a pint or two.

With best wishes to all.

Knobby · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 12:12 pm Post subject:

NannyP · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 12:53 pm Post subject:

Knobby, no, alcohol isn't always the solution, it is a solution (liquid, get it) but not the solution!! Twisted Evil

Kevin, I give the pint to the hens, they may prefer that to the eggs Laughing

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Okay, okay, to all those of you with no sense of humour, please do NOT try this at home Wink

Lisa · Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 2:07 pm Post subject:

Funny you should say that NannyP....

When we had our last cooker fitted I got talking to the Corgi man, as you do. He spotted the chickens in the garden and he told me he used to feed the grains left over after brewing beer to chickens. Apparently they really like it Rolling Eyes

Now that sounds like a win/win to me - grains for chooks, beer for humans Wink

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

Welcome Kevin! Smile

It sounds like the gang has you sorted with all the information that could be given already. Wink

KevinF · Joined: 08 May 2005 Posts: 5 Location: Hungerford, UK

All -

Thanks again for your advice. Here's an update:

As of yesterday and today, the egg eating seems - touch wood - to have ended. We got two (whole) eggs yesterday and two more today. Thinking about this, and looking at the rich brown colour of the four eggs, it occurs to me that last week one of the hens was mis-firing, laying pale-shelled eggs so soft that they kind of prolapsed on the floor of the hen house. On Saturday - the day before I made my posting at the top of this thread - my wife and I watched as one hen launched herself at one of these mis-shapen creations and pecked it open. It was this event, and finding yet another one broken on Sunday morning, that prompted my post.

Is it possible that the egg-eating was triggered by some hen-ish unease at the quality of these odd eggs? Or has it stopped because the shells have now resumed their normal hardness and therefore pose a tougher challenge? What would cause a hen to suddenly lay a run of soft-, almost white-shelled eggs, then return to 'normal' hard brown production?

Best to all.