birds have developed a taste for eggs

[rhoda_bruce]

Very seldom have I had this problem and when I have, I have simply blown a few eggs, filled it up with dish soap and covered the holes with wax and returned them to the nesting boxes to change the behavior.
I had to do this yesterday. I believe I still lost a few eggs anyway. This might have to be a daily ritual for a while.
Anyone know something that will taste worse than dish soap which isn't harmful? They can usually dig up some clam shells, but I guess I can go buy them some crushed oyster shells. Still, I need to address the bad behavior or the flock won't be worth anything to me.
Well, today I'll be making several trips to the coop to pick up eggs as they are layed.
Hoping I can outsmart some chickens and guineas.

 

[cheepo]

good luck...sounds like you have come up with a good approach...fingers crossed for you...

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Thanks. I've really known chickens a very long time and done extensive studying on it, but there is always the chance that someone has landed on some obvious solution to a problem that the rest of us have somehow never considered, so I was hoping for just such a situation here.
Many times I have eaten crow, when I think I know it all and someone comes along and has a solution to a problem that a 6 year old could have come up with and my old brain just didn't consider it. Then I'm like (hit myself in the head),"Why didn't I think of that?"

 

[pinkfox]

mabe add a little bitter apple to the dish soap...if that oesnt deter them nothing will.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Well, thats a thought......see what I mean? You just never know where the next great idea will come from.
Well yesterday, I blew 5 eggs and only one is left in the boxes, so they got a taste.
Now I don't know how poultry thinks things out, but if I were them, I'd be real suspecious as to what that 2 legged creature is up to. I've done more maintaince and changes in the coop than I have done in the past several months combined. They are feasting on some oyster cumbles right now, like its a rare treat......usually they get clam shells from an ancient trailer parks that is now my yard. I've given them extra rations and even gave them scratch food. I've picked up 5 eggs and hid them in the corn bin. (yesterday I only brought in 1 chicken egg and 2 hidden guinea eggs) I've barred off the various entrances to the roost, because some birds have taken to laying in there, so no one is getting in until about 6pm when I go on my final round.
Unfortunately it has been raining, so I will get lots of showers today running back and forth until I get this situation under control. Good thing I'm off.

 

[terri9630]

I gave up with trying to talk the hens out of eating the eggs and just built a roll out nest box. They still get one occosionally. My biggest offender became my husbands horse. She learned how to open the compartment and was stealing the eggs. Had to put a latch on it.

 

[the_whingnut]

we always put in a wooden egg. you do that for a week or two the bird starts to see its a fruitless attempt and you have a nice trained bird. work for us anyways Dad / sister keeps Ameraucana and hamburgs.

 

[BarredBuff]

You could put some Cajun Hot Sauce it them, it works with all animals.

 

[Cindlady2]

You could put some Cajun Hot Sauce it them, it works with all animals.

Birds (at least chickens) don't taste spicy "hot" like most animals. Some even like it! I add hot spice to the chickens wet mash in winter to warm them up and they love it!

My chickens were picking on the only white egg that was getting laid, I put golf balls in the nests and grabbed the white egg as soon as I could. Seemed to help. But I guess it depends on why they peck them. I also heard form an "old farmer" to put backing soda in the feed... why it works I don't know but he swears by it.

Good luck!

 

[~gd]

You could put some Cajun Hot Sauce it them, it works with all animals.

Birds (at least chickens) don't taste spicy "hot" like most animals. Some even like it! I add hot spice to the chickens wet mash in winter to warm them up and they love it!

My chickens were picking on the only white egg that was getting laid, I put golf balls in the nests and grabbed the white egg as soon as I could. Seemed to help. But I guess it depends on why they peck them. I also heard form an "old farmer" to put backing soda in the feed... why it works I don't know but he swears by it.

Good luck!

IT works well if most of your chickens are eating eggs which suggests a lack of minerals in their feed but every so often a bird or two will take up egg eating as a bad habit and that is tough to cure. I check beaks and faces for signs and suspects get tested by isolation with feed water and an egg if the egg disappers it is off to freezer camp for that bird. The next time I see it it is pot pie.