Is there a cure for an egg-eating hen?

Jeanne Spears
Jeanne Spears Posts: 27 ✭✭✭
edited November 2020 in Birds (Land Fowl & Waterfowl)

I have eleven hens laying and some days I have 10 or 11 eggs. Other days when I collect eggs there will be one or two broken open. Since I work, I don't have the option of collecting more than once a day, so I've tried various ways to stop the cannabalism. I got ceramic nest eggs which stopped the issue for a couple days. I tried a couple different supplements, different scratch, more greens - all were temporary fixes. I think I know which hen is the problem, but I don't want to impose the 'obvious solution' on the wrong one. Any suggestions?

Comments

  • Jens the Beekeeper
    Jens the Beekeeper Posts: 651 admin

    How about separating the suspect to see if you are right.

    If the eeg eating stops you can proceed and...

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @Jeanne Spears I agree with @Jens. You can also use Pinless Peepers (or similar) for a short time on the culprit to see if she might stop when it is removed. Make sure it is pinless, as ones with pins cause pain.

    Make sure you look up pictures. There are some pretty funny googly eye ones using these peepers.

  • bcabrobin
    bcabrobin Posts: 251 ✭✭✭

    Do you give them the used egg shells? I save mine smash so they don't know they're the shells and mine are free range so just but in dirt area of the yard. If yours are in, put as far from the nesting boxes as possible so they don't get the shells idea. That has seemed to help. Calcium didn't work for mine.

    When do you feed them? I know with working it's hard but if you could give them greens/vegi scrapes in the morning and their feed later. I think mine are bored, That's why they break. But we did have trouble with one she would lay in someone else's box and break their egg, leaving her.