My hens have started eating their eggs. It started because I have a bad nesting box design that I built and allowed the eggs to be knocked out and broken open. Any body have a good home made box design? Anyway, now I have found my hens pecking open the eggs and eating them right in the nest boxes. Now what?

Thanks
cgh

Hoerichs, 3 things: 1. Darken the nests by hanging a burlap or canvas or? in front of the nest boxes. 2. Place a golf ball or two in the nest and leave them there! 3. Collect your eggs as often during the day as you can--do not leave any eggs in the nest, if at all possible. I use cardboard boxes, large enough to cut a hole in the side, and the hole high enough so the straw is well cupped and eggs cannot fall out! Close it up on top. It is dark, the chickens love to go in, and if they set, you can move hen and all to another place to hatch, and when it is soiled, burn it or trash it, and replace with a nice clean new one. I stalk the box boys at the Grocery Store to find boxes just right size for my bantams. They are never exactly the same sizes. If you have large hen, you will have to get there early, as they flatten the boxes for recycling! You might have to put a nail through the box into the wall of your coop, so the box will not be tipped over! Do try to stop the habit as quickly as possible, so they will forget how good a raw egg is!!!Good luck,
CJR

I agree with CJR. I cured egg-eating by darkening the nests and collecting eggs as often as possible. My nest boxes are permanent and built of wood. A simple box design with a 1 x 4 across the front to keep the nesting material and eggs in. I also use the golf balls but I actually put those in to get my young pullets to quit sleeping (and pooping) in the nests. Worked *immediately*!

Good luck! You can resolve this one with some persistence.

Susie

I use Rubbermaid storage boxes. Leave the top on and cut a "chicken" size hole in the front to one side....I have straw inside and it is on the floor of their coop. I have a couple but my 12 hens all like the same one. Now my Indian Runner females are sharing the same one too! PLUS, they are easy to clean out if dirty! Try it, you'll like it! P.S. I also feed my girls cooked noodles every couple of days, or take them lettuce or greens...winter is very boring for them as they are stuck in the barn(I live in Canada...its cold!!!!). This keeps them busy!!

Great advise. I tried a couple of the suggestions already, and my egg production went from a few a week to 9 eggs yesterday!

Thanks

Dear All,

We've tried all the above suggestions plus putting hot mustard in a blown out egg shell (they loved it!) We also tried shutting them up in the henhouse with half rations for 21 days (a suggestion given to us) which worked the first time but has never worked again. We ended up culling the worst egg eaters and egg production went up for awhile, but now it's just as bad as ever. They have plenty of oyster shell, they eat Purina layer pellets and a little scratch plus kitchen scraps. The nest boxes are covered and the whole hen house is pretty dark. They have the run of a large fenced in area during the day. Eggs are collected twice a day (when we get any). We both work in town so it's not possible to collect eggs any more frequently, plus I've seen them eat the egg immediately after laying it. The chickens are a mixture of 1 year old pullets (9) and 3 year old hens (5) plus one old red rooster. All of them (except the rooster) have been observed eating eggs. The pullets want to lay on the ground which is what I think got this mess started again. Any suggestions???

Thanks, Jane

My hens are egg eaters too! I am very new at this. I just built my coop last weekend. On Sunday night I got four 6 month old Rhode Island red hens. I built a roll away egg nest. Their box has a ramp in it and the eggs rolls down and I have a door on the outside of the coop. Unfortunately they have this figured out and are sticking theor necks down the ramp to peck the eggs. Does anyone kknow if I can put something on the ramp to repel them. Do they have a sense of smell?
Thanks,
Suzanne

You might try giving your chickens oyster shells, they may not be getting all the calcium they need so therefore they are breaking the eggs to eat the shell and egg for protein.

Sometimes being short on protein also can contribute to this. Make sure your feed is up to par, and avoid too many low-protein treats like whole grains.