birds have developed a taste for eggs

[Wannabefree]

I have a marble egg I leave in the nest boxes and switch it around from time to time. I had taken it out, but had issues with pecked eggs again, and put it back in. Problem solved. Apparently pecking a solid rock is not high on their list of favorite things to do Anything hard and egg shaped would work, golf balls included.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I sent DS in the coop to do the chores. He didn't find any eggs at that time. He wants me to eat all the egg eating chickens. I have to get dressed. I spent my morning finding the cabinet. It was full of produce. I have cucs in brine and I put up 5 quarts of tomatoes with bell peppers. That took me a while to deal with. Plus a little homeschooling.
Gotta get out there and see what those animals are up to. I'll throw in my wooden eggs....what do I have to loose?
Thanks everyone.

 

[Wannabefree]

I hope that fixes it! I opened my big mouth too soon. I went out after church to gather eggs and had the marble egg, and three other eggs, and a pecked egg, all in the same nest box together :/ Stupid birds

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Maybe they protesting the heat....IDK. Well, I've been going in and out of the coop, picking up eggs all day long, locking them out of the roost, until early evening, keeping those wooden eggs.
I didn't find any evidence of breaks today. They still had some grit on the slab, but I gave them more anyway.
I'm telling you, if I'd be them, I'd be really suspicous.
I was hoping for more araucana eggs today. Tomorrow I'm putting 25 (thats it) in the incubator to hatch out with my next batch of keets and ducklings. Trying to get lots of rumpless babies. Looks like I get all excited about a rumpless and then it shows evidence of being a roo.

 

[so lucky]

We're having a "broken egg" problem here, too, but they are always from the chicken that lays very thin shelled eggs. Of course all the girls get in the same nest box. I'm looking into putting some foam in the nest boxes, cause they scratch away the straw and sit on bare wood. I don't really think the girls eat the broken egg, tho. There's too big of a mess left. I occasionally find a paper-thin egg shell under the roost, as well.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I had similar issues, before I bought some outdoor carpet for my nesting boxes and covered them with shreaded paper. They would just move the paper out of the way and expose the wood b4, but the carpet helped a lot. Building supply people think I'm funny. I ask them for something and when they find out I only need a super small amt, they are like,"Its for your chickens, right?"

 

[so lucky]

Lol

 

[Cindlady2]

I had broken eggs for a while too. I got some 2/$1 foam place mats and cut them in half... worked great. Nice soft landing!

 

[~gd]

I had similar issues, before I bought some outdoor carpet for my nesting boxes and covered them with shreaded paper. They would just move the paper out of the way and expose the wood b4, but the carpet helped a lot. Building supply people think I'm funny. I ask them for something and when they find out I only need a super small amt, they are like,"Its for your chickens, right?"

I thought I was the only one! I happened to hit the local Lowes store after they were changing carpet lines and they had a whole stack of samples maybe 24"X18" bound on all 4 sides 4/$1 I saved all the out door samples that I could get (they had been picked over by people buying them as door mats really only very light colored ones were left. I used them in my brooders [those young ones would poop anywhere] But spray them off with a hose and throw over the fence to dry the best solution ever for brooders! The indoor carpet went into the laying boxes WITHOUT any litter (tends to promote nesting) People that saw my house and the coop said the birds lived better than I did! But I loved my old wide board, old growth yellow pine floors and you can't get that anymore.~gd

 

[~gd]

I have a marble egg I leave in the nest boxes and switch it around from time to time. I had taken it out, but had issues with pecked eggs again, and put it back in. Problem solved. Apparently pecking a solid rock is not high on their list of favorite things to do Anything hard and egg shaped would work, golf balls included.

Those were the original meaning of Nestegg BTW I collect nesteggs Many of the real nesteggs [before plastics] are quite pricy. Hand carved wood, shina. pottery and milkglass ones are worth a few bucks Each, Bone and ivory around $25 There are exactly 2 Parkesine (the very first plastic) nesteggs known and they are Priceless. Celloloid and Bakelite (both very early plastic), some are rare but many were mass produced vary a lot in value. There is a dispute on stone and metal eggs with most people thinking chickens are not dumb enouch to accept heavy and cold things as eggs. It is known that stone eggs are symbols of love and reproduction through much of the orient and were never used as nesteggs. As a collector I am usually buying so if you have ones you would like a quote on PM me with details.