chickens

[robo]

Hi all, does anybody know why chickens eat their own eggs, I am slowly getting my chickens laying again after stopping in summer, I have 7 hens and averaging 4 eggs each day I know it should be better but after one egg a day its a big improvement the problem is I am finding one egg per day eaten as soon as its laid ive yet to find the one responsible, all the others are untouched I have never had this before

[alan refail]

Eggs are very tasty for hens! Usually it is the softer shelled or cracked ones that are eaten. Some helpful suggestions here

http://smallfarm.about.com/od/farmanima ... eating.htm

[Motherwoman]

Hi Robo,

Don't eggspect (sorry ) too much from your hens in the way of eggs yet, I'm on 1 egg a day from 8 hens at the moment. Things pick up after the shortest day. Egg eaters get a taste for them but it could be a sign that they are short of calcium to make shell. Try small quanties of oyster shell (available from pet stores) for them to peck at and mine love bread which has added calcium, not that they know this of course!

MW

[robo]

I put pulverised shells in there food everyday, I also top the run up with woodchip that has worms and grubs in it, I do that in an attempt to keep the ground dryish, ive had the hens for nearly 12 months but not had this before but one of the guys on a plot lower down from me has got the same problem but all his eggs are getting eaten

[PLUMPUDDING]

One of my older hens lays thin shelled eggs and I try to check the nest boxes by 9.30 or 10 am as they have usually layed by this time. My new hens have just started laying over the past few weeks, bought as point of lay in October. The only snag is that two of them the Gingernut Rangers are huge and not exactly dainty, so they have been breaking the thinner shelled eggs when they jump into the nest box and clomp about getting comfortable.

So as I say you might save the thinner shelled ones if you get there early enough.

[robo]

problem is they lay at different times I have just got back from the plot at 2-30 and one laid just before I left last Saturday one laid at 4-30 just as it was going dark but I take your point as the one eaten is laid early as its always there to meet me and very rarely in a nesting box usually on the floor, if I could catch the culprit she would go to the chicken coop in the sky, I will give it a few more weeks to see what happens as I have started to put more grit in the morning porridge if it carries on I will have to separate them

[oldherbaceous]

My mate Old Codger is having exactly the same problem. Very frustrating indeed.

[alan refail]

I think some of my eaten eggs in the past have been broken and eaten by magpies. Worth keeping an eye open if magpies are about and can get into the coop.

[Diane]

How about Rollaway nest boxes -http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/ChickBox_Rollaway_Nest_Box.html

If you google, there are several producers of these - or you could just get an insert and fit it in to your existing nest box.

[robo]

I would like to thank you all for the replys, today ive had 5 eggs all laid in the nest box's none on the floor and no sign of an eaten or damaged one, I am hoping the extra grit I am putting in their morning porridge is working and the problem is over the next few days will tell

[Chantal]

I was told some time ago that you should blow an egg and fill it with English mustard (God knows how). Leave that one as "bait" removing all other eggs asap. One taste of the mustard and the egg eater won't do it again.

I have no first hand experience of this, it may be an old wives' tale...

[oldherbaceous]

This is exactly what i have advised Old Codger to do, and he is buying the English mustard as i type. I will report back.....

[robo]

Been down to feed them today I could not get there yesterday as I had to attend our fishing clus fair and feather anyway I found 1 egg in a nesting box cracked open but not eaten and 6 untouched although one or two are laying in unusual places

[oldherbaceous]

Old Codger has reported back, the chickens have eaten all the mustard, but still broken eggs.

He did say it was a cheap mustard so, maybe it was his fault for not buying Colemans English like i advised him.

[Diane]

The mustard trick doesn't work (as you've found out). It really is an old wives tale. Nor does curry powder.

Rollaway nestboxes do work. If you don't want to buy the whole contraption then you can just buy the inserts and fit them to your own nest box.