| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Cori
USA
4 Posts |
 Posted - 06/09/2009 : 2:17:20 PM
|
| Anyone have any advice on how to stop chickens from eating eggs? |
|
|
erinisle
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2009 : 10:34:41 PM
|
 No I have never had that problem with my girls, sorry
Kim |
 |
|
|
Chicken Whisperer
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2009 : 10:18:55 AM
|
Hey Cori,
In most cases if one of your chickens has learned how to break open and eat it's own eggs you have to cull it. Why? It will teach the other chickens how to do it as well, and one day there will be no eggs for you. This is a bad habit that needs to be stopped immediately. Sorry to give you the bad news.
Chicken Whisperer
|
|
|
|
Cori
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 06/13/2009 : 12:55:17 PM
|
Chicken Whisperer.
My first thought after reading your answer was "Ugh!"
Logically I see it is the right way to stop this. Now I just have to figure out which chicken it is.
I've always wanted to set up a barn camera to see what goes on down there when no one is around. I have no idea what that involves so I'll probably just try to hang around and catch her in the act.
Thanks,
Cori |
|
|
|
Chicken Whisperer
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2009 : 11:34:19 PM
|
Hey Cori,
Are you sure it's a chicken and not something else eating the eggs? There may be another way to break a chicken of this habit, but most info I read says cull it. Please keep us posted!
Chicken Whisperer
|
|
|
|
Dr. McCrea
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2009 : 3:13:01 PM
|
There are two ways to catch the culprit.
1. Examine each hen's beak/wattles and breast feathers. Unless she is super sneaky, she will have a bit of dried yolk left on her beak.
2. If she is super sneaky, then lure the culprit. Drop an egg in the pen and see who runs over to eat it, shell and all!
Yes, you will need to cull the hen. No, adding pepper or bitter apples does not help (they have only 24 taste buds - they only basically detect salt). Catch and cull her because she can teach this behavior to the other hens (and quickly!).
-Dr. McCrea
Small Flock Poultry Specialist
Delaware State University
|
|
|
|
PC1
USA
51 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2009 : 10:45:37 AM
|
I figured I would post the definition of Culling from Wikipedia.
Culling is the process of removing animals from a group based on specific criteria. This is done in order to either reinforce certain desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics from the group. For livestock and wildlife, the process of culling usually implies the killing of animals with undesirable characteristics. |
|
|
|
PC1
USA
51 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2009 : 11:01:37 AM
|
And yes I had to look this up for myself, so I figured I would post it for others.
I knew what you were implying but didn't understand why you just didn't say it, until I looked up the definition.  |
|
|
|
PetesMom
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2009 : 3:20:24 PM
|
The only dumb question is the one that doesn't get asked. Thanks, Paul.
Jill
|
|
|
|
sunshine09
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2009 : 2:51:19 PM
|
| I've heard that it could be a vitamin defiency try giving your girls some crushed oyster shell, mix it in their laying mash it might just do the trick! Good luck!! |
|
|
|
jbarbieri
3 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2010 : 12:13:05 AM
|
| Cori, whatever happened? We're curious b/c we've just started having the same problem. If you get a chance...please tell the end of the story. Thanks!! |
|
|
|
DaveInCT
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2010 : 09:56:11 AM
|
A friend of mine in Haddam CT gave me a tip on how to
stop egg cannibalism. He puts a white golf ball in each
nest. The offending chicken will beat his brains in trying
to crack that dimpled egg. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Chickens eating eggs
