egg-stealing egg eating thieving chickens

[Emerald]

So just assuming here, but you are finding the few eggs left with bits and smears of egg yolk? Or just pieces of shell here and there, or just not a lot of eggs?
I know that some of my girls are molting and also this is the time of year where if they are not molting they are adding extra body fat and extra feathers for those of us who are up here in the cold north. the egg laying will slow down quite a bit, and I have started the last few years to add whole corn to their diet and extra scratch and if you can afford it the turkey starter crumbles as they have higher protein. or like an ol' timer told me- cheap cat food. The extra protein helps them build feathers quicker and they go back to laying quickly.
You can also try to find who the egg eater is and just put her into a "isolation" cage for a few days and sometimes that will break them of the habit--not sure why but it does.

 

[TanksHill]

Oh, cat food huh??? I see that on clearance all the time. I will have to pick some up.

g

 

[old fashioned]

Since DH brought home 2 more hens from a neighbors, we've been having this problem too. We're still trying to figure out who's doing the deed for sure-whether it's the chickens or rodents. So we've upped their protein & calcium and have put out traps & the dog has been going crazy out there. We just haven't caught the guilty one yet.

Cat food, huh? I'll try that too. At this point, I'll try anything.

 

[lalaland]

they are definitely eating the eggs - I see one of them doing it. I also find eggs in the nest that are covered with egg yolk from a missing egg or eggs.

At this point, I think there are a couple of egg eaters. One day I tried the mustard filled egg, and watched as 4 hens took turns trooping into the nest and leaving one by one - I couldnt see into the nest, but was thinking they were tasting the mustard and leaving in disgust, but NO, they were eating the danged thing.

I could try putting the two worst offenders in an usused coop for a few days this weekend to see if it breaks them of the habit.

they hate the glass egg and often push it out of the nest, and the nest that holds the glass egg has the most eggs in it. I am thinking of buying those marble eggs - or maybe wooden ones, but the rock hard ones would be best. better get it done before winter because I think laying on a frozen marble egg might discourage them from laying!

 

[Emerald]

they are definitely eating the eggs - I see one of them doing it. I also find eggs in the nest that are covered with egg yolk from a missing egg or eggs.

At this point, I think there are a couple of egg eaters. One day I tried the mustard filled egg, and watched as 4 hens took turns trooping into the nest and leaving one by one - I couldnt see into the nest, but was thinking they were tasting the mustard and leaving in disgust, but NO, they were eating the danged thing.

I could try putting the two worst offenders in an usused coop for a few days this weekend to see if it breaks them of the habit.

they hate the glass egg and often push it out of the nest, and the nest that holds the glass egg has the most eggs in it. I am thinking of buying those marble eggs - or maybe wooden ones, but the rock hard ones would be best. better get it done before winter because I think laying on a frozen marble egg might discourage them from laying!

If I remember correctly birds don't have the same taste buds like we do and that is why they put hot pepper on some bird seeds to deter squirrels from eating the seed. I wonder if you just blew out a few eggs and left just the empty shells behind then they would stop eating thinking that all the eggs would be empty... or put some strong food coloring-(like half the bottle) -colored jello or something in the blown out eggs so that any naughty hens would end up with their beaks super colored then you would know for sure. Like blue or green color.

 

[lalaland]

i love the idea of the food coloring, I might try that - if I can get myself to really consider culling the thieving ones.

empty eggshells - mine will eat them too - they love eggshells when they are digging in the compost, even though I crush them up -.

yeah, I don't know why I didn't realize they don't really taste stuff - do they?

 

[Emerald]

i love the idea of the food coloring, I might try that - if I can get myself to really consider culling the thieving ones.

empty eggshells - mine will eat them too - they love eggshells when they are digging in the compost, even though I crush them up -.

yeah, I don't know why I didn't realize they don't really taste stuff - do they?

I think that they taste but just different than we do- not sure if they have done a study on it --probably have tho--those collage grants are sure going to some one!
I have seen them eat things that we would consider poisonous don't eat but it doesn't seem to bother them a bit and then I have seen them turn their noses at stuff we like. But they really seem to love mouse--I get them in the buckets sometimes when I forget to latch the lids down tight and the chickens fight over them. Frogs and toads are fair game it seems too, watch the "keep away" game they play and found that the "keep away item" was a frog! Grossed me out quite a bit.