# Please help, I have a chicken that is now eating eggs!!!!!



## Happy Farming Momma (Feb 18, 2012)

Elmo is a Road Island Red hen that just came out of her mult about a week ago and has been laying, but all of a sudden she has been eating eggs. Not sure if she has eaten her own but she has eatin the other hens eggs. So far we are at a loss of 4 eggs. So for now I have her seperated in a Great Dane sixed crate with food water and a box!

My question is.... Does anyone know how to stop her from eating the eggs besides eating her?  The only reason I don't want to eat her is because she herself just began laying. But if I can't figure out some way of stoping her I will eat her!

Also, I have an Americana(sp?) hen that is about 4 yrs old and is normaly out and about with the other girls. But today (very windy day) she has not left the coop, or the roost for that matter! Could she be on her way out? I have been getting ready to make stew with her as she has stopped laying quite a few weeks ago! What do you think??????


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## SmallFarmGirl (Feb 18, 2012)

She might just be starving her self so you'll Change your mine about stewing her. 
 She may be sick OR just hanging out. My hen will sometimes just roost during the day then hop back to norma in the evening.
I would take the eggs away as soon as possible but other wise; I don't really know! Sorry!


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## Happy Farming Momma (Feb 18, 2012)

Thanks for the input anyways! Every lil bit helps I find.


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## Stacykins (Feb 18, 2012)

Is the girl roosting doing so on an actual roost or in a nest box? She might be going broody if in a nest box. They don't even need eggs under them to go broody, they just sit there, fluffed out and flat as a pancake with complete determination to be mother's. And if you got her as an AmerIcana, then she is likely what is known as an Easter Egger. Kind of a mutt breed of blue egg layers. Sadly hatcheries sell EEs under the name of Ameraucanas and Araucanas, both are established breeds that breed true.  

As for the egg eater, no actual firsthand knowledge. But I hear you can blow the contents out of a normal egg, then fill it with mustard (the condiment). Then when she goes to eat it, she'll get a mouthful of yuck and she may learn not to do that again. You hope.


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## Happy Farming Momma (Feb 18, 2012)

Well the one that is roosting is on a roost and not in a box sadly! So I have no idea.

But as for the butt head eating my eggs....I might just have to try the mustard thing.

Thanks so much for your help!


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## SmallFarmGirl (Feb 18, 2012)

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/six-tips-on-breaking-your-egg-eater
Help yah?


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## ThreeBoysChicks (Feb 18, 2012)

Put golf balls in the next boxes.  It helps teach young chickens where to lay and it also confuses the eag eatter.  When the peck a golf ball, it hurts.


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## Trigoat&pbrlover (Feb 18, 2012)

You should go to  http://www.backyardchickens.com/
you will get some more answers there.


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## Beekissed (Feb 18, 2012)

Your bird is eating eggs because the shells are breaking(when laid or when stepped upon when birds get into and out of the nest) and chickens are opportunistic eaters.  Just increase your calcium...put the oyster shell right in their food, not free choice, and increase your protein as well.  This time of year chickens are diverting a lot of calcium to feather regrowth and not so much to the egg shells.  

Increase these two things and wait awhile....it always stops after the egg shells are more firm.  IMO, there is no such thing as an egg eater...three generations of keeping chickens in my family and we've never had one.  Oh, we have eggs eaten by chickens at certain times of the year but we've never had what folks on these forums refer to as an "egg eater"....ALL of our chickens eat eggs when they get the chance.


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## Happy Farming Momma (Feb 18, 2012)

That is great, you guys have helped me so much thanks.

Now I just need to figure out how to change the title of my posts so people know that I don't need help any more!


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## Beekissed (Feb 18, 2012)

Just go to your original post and edit it...it will allow the edit of the title also.


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## elevan (Feb 18, 2012)

Happy Farming Momma said:
			
		

> Now I just need to figure out how to change the title of my posts so people know that I don't need help any more!


Editing post #1 of this thread (or any of your threads) will allow you to edit the title as well.


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## pridegoethb4thefall (Feb 19, 2012)

Happy Farming Momma said:
			
		

> That is great, you guys have helped me so much thanks.
> 
> Now I just need to figure out how to change the title of my posts so people know that I don't need help any more!


For the hen not coming out of the henhouse- I would say she is not feeling well. 4 years old is not that old and should still be laying somewhat. She could be eggbound. I would suggest looking up info on that first. Then look for other reasons and cures. Could be many things, but usually its not a good sign.

As for your egg eater (and I dont think your troubles are over yet), I would up the calcium, try flock raiser feed AND lay crumble/pellets, also try the golfballs trick. The mustard trick DOES NOT WORK! Chickens DO NOT have a problem with mustard whatsoever! In fact, they LOVE cayene pepper and apple cider vinegar, so hot or sour stuff doesnt bother them at all.

I dont waste my time or feed on an egg eater. You can try the tricks, and if they work, I think its just because the hen decided herself not to go after the eggs anymore, not because of the tricks (which, btw, I have tried myself over the years. ALL of them, and NONE EVER worked!!) BYC is FULL of people with the same problem, year after year the problem is posted, and still, NO cure or real answer, if that tells you anything.

Give her a few weeks if you can and want to, and if she keeps it up (and she WILL teach other hens to do it eventually), I say eat her.

Best of luck and I hope she shapes up and starts letting YOU eat the eggs! And I hope your other hen starts feeling well soon!


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## Sunny & the 5 egg layers (Feb 19, 2012)

I am not sure if this has already been mentioned, but you should never feed a hen a raw egg. This will only encourage her to eat her eggs. Always cook the eggs before feeding them back to your birds.


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## Beekissed (Feb 20, 2012)

Three generations of women in my family have fed raw, broken or old eggs to their flocks and never had an "egg-eater".  It is a myth that this will make your chickens turn cannibalistic over eggs.


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## redtailgal (Feb 20, 2012)

I had chickens for years before I sold out.  Sometimes I even miss my girls.  

I also fed raw eggs on a regular basis, and never had egg eating problems with my own girls. I did take in a small flock at one point that had an "egg eater" in it.  She needed oyster shell.  

I put out oystershell in a free feeder gravity style feeder, put a few golf balls in the nest box, and pick up eggs three times a day for about a week.  She stopped without a problem.  Ih she hadn't stopped, she would have been chicken pie.

ALso, check your nest boxes for bugs.  If you have bugs in there, they will crawl over the warm eggs, enticing the hen to peck at them, thus cracking the egg and revealing the tasty insides for the hen to eat.  The little black beetles are normaly the culprits in this situation.  They are frequently found in the cracks of nest boxes, under them, and in the area between the nest box and the wall.   Sevin dust never killed them for me.  I had to take the nest boxes out of the coop, wash them, clean all the bedding out of the coop.  Be sure to take a broom and sweep into the cracks on the walls........check everywhere for the lil buggers. Be sure to carry your "trash" far away from the coop (I would burn mine when I found the black beetles) or they will move back in.


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## Goatherd (Feb 20, 2012)

> Three generations of women in my family have fed raw, broken or old eggs to their flocks and never had an "egg-eater".  It is a myth that this will make your chickens turn cannibalistic over eggs.


Testify!  Like you, I've had chickens longer than I can remember.  When an egg breaks or I happen to drop one, my girls eat it up within seconds.  Never have I had an "egg eater."  Egg eating is caused by a nutritional deficiency.  Poor diet and lack of necessary minerals, vitamins, etc. are what cause hens to start eating eggs.


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## bonbean01 (Feb 20, 2012)

There is the occasional hen that decides to eat eggs...her own and waiting around while another hen lays, then eats it.  I had one of those and she had the same well balanced diet they all did.  I marked her with blue food colouring (after I saw her doing it and waiting for another hen to lay and then go after that egg) and put her in a cage by herself for a few days...time out...had already tried the golf ball thing and no luck.  Put her back in with the others and she was right back at it.  No other hens were doing it.  She hit the crock pot and end of problem.


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## Stubbornhillfarm (Feb 21, 2012)

Goatherd said:
			
		

> > Three generations of women in my family have fed raw, broken or old eggs to their flocks and never had an "egg-eater".  It is a myth that this will make your chickens turn cannibalistic over eggs.
> 
> 
> Testify!  Like you, I've had chickens longer than I can remember.  When an egg breaks or I happen to drop one, my girls eat it up within seconds.  Never have I had an "egg eater."  Egg eating is caused by a nutritional deficiency.  Poor diet and lack of necessary minerals, vitamins, etc. are what cause hens to start eating eggs.


I completely agree.  It is the breaking/cracking of an egg by any means, that entices the chicken to then peck at or eat the egg.  Over the years we have had eggs eaten but not an "egg eater".  This should stop for you once they have additional calcium and their shells become harder.  Best wishes through this aggravating time.


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## capretta (Mar 26, 2012)

Oh no! Separate her, or give her something else to do, like scatter some scratch in the morning. Or, figure out when she lays, and swoop in right after she lays and take her egg, and shoo her out of the nesting box. Unless she's eating other hen's eggs. The important thing is that you try to break her habit (or have some chicken soup!) before she teaches the other hens, because then you won't get any eggs.


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