How to stop your chickens from eating their eggs Tips Help ideas

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How to stop your chickens from eating their eggs tips help ideas
Chicken Nipple waterer
• BEST TIPS LESS WORK Ch...
If your chickens are eating their own eggs, you'll need to break this habit immediately. The longer they do it, the harder it becomes to fix. But don't worry - with a few tweaks to your hens' nest boxes and living situation, you can nip egg eating in the bud.
Reduce Egg Breakage
Egg breakage is one of the major reasons why hens begin eating eggs. A few quick tips can reduce or eliminate egg breakage and thus the chances for your hens to get the taste of raw egg.
Nest boxes. Make sure you have one 12-inch square nest for every 4-5 hens in the flock - never fewer than six nesting boxes. Nesting boxes should be at least two feet off the ground and at least four feet from the roosts.
Also make sure you have at least 2 inches of clean, dry nesting material (shavings or straw) in the nest boxes at all times.
Relocate any broody hens, which cause more congestion in the nesting boxes.
Strong eggshells. Keep eggshells strong by feeding a calcium supplement in a free choice feeder (usually sold as oyster shells). Make sure to use a complete feed specifically designed for laying hens.
If you feed hens eggshell for calcium, smash them to a powder so they don't associate them with the egg itself.
Collect eggs early. Collecting eggs early in the day is always good practice. This leaves less time for breakage and egg eating. Most hens are done laying by 10 am.
Lower Stress
Avoid bright lighting near the nesting boxes, and don't disturb hens in the nests. Make sure you have enough space for each hen in the coop, fresh feed and water are available at all times, and if possible, hens have free space outdoors to roam (or at least a run with fresh grass and bugs).
Cull Relentless Egg Eaters
If you have one hen who's determined to eat eggs despite all these tips, consider culling her from the flock. She'll just pass on the bad behavior to the other hens and then you'll have a real problem on your hands.

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8 май 2013

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Комментарии : 311

@jogabriel1350 10 лет назад

Tis a sad day when a hen eats eggs. Good Video. I'v had chickens whole time growing up, as well as other egg laying critters (turkeys, ducks, etc). You mentioned not throwing back the shells. Toasted our shell before giving them back. We also crumbled them into bits. That being done they no longer looked or tasted like egg shells. Just put them in the oven on 350 until they stink, let cool, they will be very brittle and dried out. Easily crumble up the shells and toss them in the yard. Chickens scratch and enjoy, never knowing its shells

@daniellevan6226 9 лет назад

I feed the eggshells back to my chickens, it stops the egg eating, but you don't feed the big pieces of shell, you crush the eggshells into a fine little crunch and add it back in to their scratch feed. (Y)

@tash6974 7 лет назад

Daniel LeVan same, I fed whole egg shells for years. It's unnatural for chickens to eat their young, they only do that out of extreme protein deficiency.

@GourmetGaloreNET 6 лет назад

No protein in the shells, so feeding back shells wouldn't help. It's another deficiency, like calcium - If it's a particular hen, just eat that hen.

@TheBushdoctor68 10 лет назад

Good video. I did not see this solution posted in any of the comments and I thought it could be interesting. Roll out nest boxes. For Egg Eaters & Cleaner Eggs.

@sofiadragon1979 10 лет назад

Thank you for this, this is going to help when I get my flock.

@SarahMayAllDay 8 лет назад

This video is an 'additional material' for the Coursera class I'm currently taking. The previous video that was added, intrigued me, making me want to subscribe. Now, sir, with the shirt you're wearing, I've gained even more respect. Have a great day, Fam. NFA

@vickieschafer3173 8 лет назад

I'm taking the course now and it is additional resource material for "Chicken Behaviour and Welfare" from the University of Edinburgh.

@SarahMayAllDay 8 лет назад

+Vickie Schafer how do you like the class? i earned my certificate 2 weeks ago!

@NJRESolar 11 лет назад

For issues with egg eaters my advice is still viable. However, in our case, as time has gone on, I believe you're exactly correct. I suspect the egg is being laid by an older hen.

@chickenlover-xi8yt 6 лет назад

Thank you for this video!!! This always happens!!!!

@SuperJamesrice 10 лет назад

I had trouble with hens eating eggs also, and i found if you put some mustard on the eggs that they broke and take tho others out .It wont take long to discourage them from it. This worked for me .thanks for reading.

@typingcat 4 года назад

Haha "Once they get taste for it, it's very difficult to get them to stop." So, most hens will eat their own eggs once they know the taste? How come this species did not go extinct...

@knathanknathan 6 лет назад

Haha they’re like how dare you working on my corner; I’ll have to eat your eggs

@MrBogeyone 11 лет назад

I have had a couple of occasions where my younger hens laid an egg but ate it. Consistently I get 12 eggs from 14 hens. My advice is to give the oyster shells and make SURE they have plenty of nesting area. All my white leghorns (14) lay in a large nesting box and my other 6 (Plymouth Rocks) lay in a single nesting box. I lose probably 3 eggs per week to cracking and eating. I feed roughly 8 per week to my Chinese Chow dog. She watches over the chickens so she gets the cracked eggs (cooked)

@billread664 6 лет назад

I use the second option sharp axe and a block of wood!

@oyerindeezekiel3723 3 года назад

Thank you Sir God bless you abundantly Amen

@jasmineliang2120 10 лет назад

another way is to feed them sand i know it sounds ridiculious but it worked very well for me

@SinaSeelenfeuer 10 лет назад

That's right! They need minerals. That's why they eat the eggs.

@briana7781 3 года назад

My chicken sand too my parents were so weirded out but it’s normal for them to eat it!

@briana7781 3 года назад

Ate*

@tallcedars2310 5 лет назад

Great tips, we hardly had any eggs this summer and with work it was difficult to manage them, so will give them another chance. Tried putting eggs back in with a tablespoon of cayenne pepper added and they loved it, lol. Tried ping pong balls and no go, they still eat the eggs. Will keep trying different methods next year when I will no longer be working and can keep an eye on the situation much closer then. Good idea to dig up the dirt in their pen to let them get fresh bugs!

@bwghall1 4 года назад

Cayenne pepper is a spice chickens love reconditions them. see my reply above the Mustard powder.

@PatriotCoinRings 7 лет назад

+NJRE First, I love your chicken coop, very nice! Did you design that or find it somewhere online for sale as a kit, I'd love to check it out. Second, I know you said don't feed chicken egg shells but I was told by another farmer (I'm brand new at this) that if they are dried out and pulverized to be smaller than their own chicken meal and then blended in with their food it was unrecognizable and wouldn't be an issue of training the birds to be a egg buster - I'd like your feedback on that if you can or from any other experienced egg farmers (if that's what we would be called).

@connorwall6928 8 лет назад

Beautiful chicken coop

@CoolNuts12 11 лет назад

So with the golf balls I have hens that should start laying within then next month or 2 so when do I put it in there nesting box

@catilovecats8534 4 года назад

thank you so much! my hens will NOT stop eating them, as soon as they lay the egg they just all pack in and devour it we feed them calcium and everything they say to help but nothing has worked i’m going to try the golf ball thing, if it doesn’t work i’m just going to give up and do the slanted coop thing

@gnarlyshields 9 лет назад

Thanks, this helped out a ton.

@christinearmington 11 лет назад

cool tune!

@Sutlifffamily 6 лет назад

Thanks for the video. I have five hens, all the same age and only one has started laying. They're happy, healthy hens. We're three weeks after the first hen began laying. Yesterday, I found a membrane substance in an area where they had been. There was no yoke color or any shell whatsoever, but I am wondering if an egg was eaten there. Perhaps I have more than one layer after all? Do you usually find more substance than that if you have an egg eater? Any thoughts? I have ceramic eggs in the nest boxes, but this was not in a nest box.

@dryclimateutah 6 лет назад

I'm trying to use roll-away nesting boxes... but my jersey giant knows where the eggs are and she can stick her head down and eat the eggs still. I was researching online what chickens can taste and it turns out they can't taste capsaicin (the stuff that makes peppers hot)... I was using cayenne pepper powder and though it seemed to help some I still got some broken eggs. I added mustard powder and it seemed to help until the powder ran out. (doesn't seem cost effective). I'm trying dried orange peels which I've ground up in my blender... it looked like it might work, but the wind blew some of it out or to one side and I had another broken egg today on the side of the tray where the powder had been removed... I'm just trying to make the egg taste bad to them (chickens can taste bitter). Someone suggested to me that ground coffee might be bitter. Not sure if it would work, but seems like it might be strong enough to flavor a broken egg... just don't know if they would love it or hate it. If someone knows something that won't kill them that is safe for humans if it gets on the outside of the shell and tastes really bad to the chickens but won't flavor the egg on the inside, I'd love some ideas.

@mohammedaamerhussain3747 8 лет назад

Awesom work sir....

@celestecabrales2931 6 лет назад

my chicken have been getting into our eggs a lot and have not been able to stop them. Two have died from it and have been taking action since. This helps a lot!

@suzykomar2343 6 лет назад

Whare did you get your beautiful black and white crested hens. I've seen silver laced varieties but none like these.

@justuswithrandomstuff8250 6 лет назад

smart video thanks for posting!

@jackjr.sparrow3668 6 лет назад

What’s the name of the song at the end of the video, it sounds catchy. Please, respond as soon as possible because I’ve been trying to look for it at least a year now please

@mnnomad1870 5 лет назад

Picked up 10 Red Stars yesterday that actually came with clipped beaks. Not sure but suspect they were from commercial egg producer. He was selling 50 at 15 months old. This morning I checked for eggs and one nest box was wet with yolk. Kept going out and actually caught them breaking and eating an egg and poking a hole in another. My timing was so good I got to one hen as the egg was dropping from the shoot! Have them on 16% layer, oyster shell grit, and some cracked corn mixed with sunflower seeds for a treat. I'm wondering if part of this was due to the stress they encountered in the move to my place? They seem to handle it well. Went right in the coop and made themselves at home even found the nest boxes and roosting area on their own. Guess I need to go out and get some golf balls!

@ioannouandreas4 8 лет назад

appriciate brother. big help!

@MrBogeyone 11 лет назад

Oyster shells are six bucks for fifty pounds here in my area. all they need is a small amount weekly (a teaspoon per hen). No budget problem I could see.

@KikiB1121 8 лет назад

I've heard that egg boxes shouldn't be built on floor level for this reason. in this way, chickens are more likely to see them every time they walk by and play with them out of curiosity or boredom. could this be the case? I don't have chickens yet but I'm trying to learn more for my future flock.

@nabeelahmed9830 6 лет назад

Thank you bro

@carryruiz6 3 года назад

Thank you

@TheGweng2002 11 лет назад

Thanks

@aussiegal22 7 лет назад

feeding the shells back to the hens is actaullly a must for a few reason. To avoide them relating them back to their own eggs, is: Place sheels in microwave oven and turn on high for about 15 seconds. Let cool. Once cool, either grind into a powder or simply crush them up as small as possible, then feed back to them in their shell grit or normal feed. I have never had a problem with hens eating eggs :)

@maituub 10 лет назад

nice vid, but your tip n° 5 is not totally correct. Chickens should indeed not be given fresh eggshells, butt, they may need calcium. So, after you break the eggs in the kitchen, lay them flat en open on an unused tray in your oven, and dry them with some rest heat after backing, ( that way no mold or other smelly problems will occur) add more till tray is nearly full. Pull tray out of oven and go over them with a rolling pin till crumbled pretty fine, store in a closed pot, add some every week to their feed, if you give them (broken) grains.

@texasfalloutradiostation96 8 лет назад

this happens to me, i also use theses ceramic eggs i picked up from a farming store

@followmetotheriot 11 лет назад

From my experience, have been keeping chickens as pets for 5 years this is when egg eating occurs. Hens can lay a broken egg have seen it happen 3-4 times and yes they will eat it. Hens will also peck an egg as he said, but it was not done to initiate eating it, it was because that egg was deemed to be a bad egg by the hen that laid it.

@andjmarn1485 6 лет назад

nice life buddy i live in THE CITY BUT LOVE CONTRY LIFE to bad no....

@TheGweng2002 11 лет назад

I have a question im getting chicks soon. i live in Texas so its really hot do you have and suggestions on what breed I should get??

@bradg2237 9 лет назад

I just built my nesting box at an angle and they roll back behind a board out of reach.

@WORMGITTER 9 лет назад

Brad G Good idea Brad. Is that you in the picture?

@greatbay1961 8 лет назад

rollaway nests are the best, so simple to make and your not going to get your hens not to eat them once they start.

@jonj3233 10 лет назад

I would like to do the urban farming thing someday. Chickens, goats and a garden. Your chickens look content..

@fionashi3371 Год назад

Me when I realize that my grandmother has a farm me:ima feed them some eggs next time I go visit

@balwinder312 3 года назад

Awesome cage

@sophiathefirst1075 3 года назад

Ok thank you sir

@johnnykanoo 5 лет назад

Great idea with the golf balls

@poultrygeniusafricaomwamip7402 2 года назад

Good work

@oddiedog100 10 лет назад

Hi, i had this problem so all i did was blow out a few eggs and injected them with hot chilli sauce and english mustard ane sealed the end holes of the eggs with a bit of egg coloured plasters, they soon disliked them after that. Rich

@jjaylee7961 6 лет назад

oddiedog100 I'm trying this right now. Fingers crossed!

@usercantbeblank 6 лет назад

J Jaylee how did it go

@TheBlueyedGal 10 лет назад

Had this problem, I believe it was territorial. The hen or hens eventually stopped being a cannibal on their own. But we always removed the eggs once per day, then started removing them twice per day, which could have helped them stop this behavior.

@csds7679 10 лет назад

The golf ball works. I have two in my nest boxes and they work to prevent the egg eating.

@aidand8623 6 лет назад

Another great thing about golf balls is that hens will tend to lay more since the golf ball acts as a fake egg so she will keep laying on the eggs therefore laying more!

@guineapiggirlforever 10 лет назад

henabalism

@brandonburrell8517 6 лет назад

Caroline You're funny. This comment should have a million likes.

@rayndrop2249 3 года назад

No, it's still cannibalism. Cannibalism does not only apply to humans.

@Paddy06s23 10 лет назад

About feeding eggshells.... We dont feed whole eggshells, we crush them up in to small pieces and mix them with the grit we also feed them. Is this ok to do? I dont think it should have too much of an impact as the visual link between whole eggs, and food has been severed. Thanks

@ritaoneill5154 8 лет назад

Mustard works to.

@Andrew.Croft. 20 дней назад

Thank for the vid, leeks and onions added to equation, :).

@bluelightofyeshua733 7 лет назад

I had one bossy hen cracking all eggs but hers so I got a rooster and it stopped he seems to keep the hens in line

@Stunin67 11 лет назад

thank you for the advice :) . i was just wondering about the bird that has the afro on its head. What kind is it?

@bt9124 3 года назад

It's the rapper.

@elliothutchinson5000 6 лет назад

hi i was wondering we have 6 chickens 5 girls 1 boy and one of the girls were sitting on 4 eggs until yesterday she cracked the ones that had chicks in them. what do i do

@paulrussell9820 7 лет назад

I want to know is do you have to put the egg shell in a skillet to dry them why I asked is because because I had people tell me that I had to put the skillet first

@bt9124 3 года назад

Donk those bozos on the bonce with a skillet.

@tenmilechicks 11 лет назад

Got an egg eating issue in the hen house? I have some tried and true tips that have worked for me, daily clear out the days eggs, if you have a VERY persistent hen that goes after eggs, yup, move her out/dindin, hang covers over nesting area, my personal favorite method, for me, it works every time. Have questions, feel free to contact me.

@Mustafadroid 9 лет назад

Nice video

@MohibbUllah301 6 лет назад

Wow nice

@malcolmsheeley2224 7 лет назад

You may have already addressed this issue, but do you have problems with birds of prey. I had 5 chickens. Now down to 4. I would like them to be free range, but I have them in an encloser with a fish net on the top. Should I net my 1/2 acre

@bt9124 3 года назад

Chickens came from jungle fowl. They absolutely need trees. Mine take cover under/in trees when ravens and other birds of prey are about. Make them little tree houses if you have felled your trees. Ideally, hens are happiest in orchards. They love all the beasties that drop off twigs/branches. You will get the best eggs ever if you give them the environment they came from. Same with dogs loving guts and bones. Would you be happy only on a processed diet? Dogs need to use those teeth, not lose them.

@user-bn5mm5yj8k Год назад

Thank you for the tip. The problem we have right now is that we don’t know which chicken it is.

@johnransom539 11 лет назад

This is a good trick for egg boxes Line them with a cut to size egg flat on the bottom. That way it keeps the nesting material in place, keep eggs from being tossed around in the nest (the little hills and valleys in the flat hold them) and when it is time to clean the nest box just toss the egg flat in the compost and start over.

@geraldc3654 9 лет назад

Mine have 2 layers of 12 carpeted nest on an angle when hen gets up egg round out of nest under a wire shelve to an egg catcher, still on carpet and out of reach and inside hen house so I can pickup eggs and fill 100 # auto feeder without going in chicken pen or bending over and out of rain. I turn 180* there is my Baby chicken pen.

@zakaryahamzeh3439 8 лет назад

On tip 5 give it to them but crished up a bit not to much only until the roundness is gone

@cjmolnar6145 6 лет назад

I didnt read all the comments, but your laying boxes should be above there eye level. Been through this with other coop designs.

@bwghall1 4 года назад

been doing this trick for 80 years. get an Egg to make a hole in both ends, now blow out the inside contents. make up some thick mustard powder into a paste inject that into the egg, stick a small plaster over the holes in the egg, stops it running out, place the egg back into the nest. might pay to do two at a time. works 100%.

@tash6974 7 лет назад

if you feed them some animal protein, beef, road kill, milk ect, they will stop eating their eggs. chickens are omnivorous and can become so protein starved they will eat each other and even their young. chickens are not herbivores.

@WORMGITTER 9 лет назад

Tip No. 7 usually is the end result. Do not leave her in there too long or the other hens could start eating them.

@Official-ug1jp 7 лет назад

I have a question when chicken lay fertilized eggs do you leave it in the nest box and wait until it goes broody or do you take it out and wait until you have a dozen and then place it back?

@bwghall1 4 года назад

you leave them. when there are about 10 she will sit.

@NJRESolar 11 лет назад

I would first pick a farm that uses and follows proper raising techniques and doesn't use any type drugs or non organic foods. Second, I would assume that if famers are raising and selling breeds of chickens in your area, they should be types that are native or capable of living in your climate. Another thought is what type of layer and what is the disposition of your chicken. If you check out back yard chickens web site, they have a bunch of information.

@miguellarios1548 9 лет назад

I'm not sure of this but if you have a dog and want chickens what should I do I need help please

@bt9124 3 года назад

Train your dog to them. I trained my eng staff to hens, sheep and now lambs.

@rhettsadventures8171 4 года назад

My problem is figuring out which hen is doing it.

@AndyKotov 5 лет назад

Не очень понял ,но... попробовать обманку в виде поддельных яиц кидать попробовать можно.! :)

@shersinghuike8519 3 года назад

Hello, im indian. And nice vedio

@angelatiner9424 2 года назад

You might try to convert your nesting boxes into rollaway nesting boxes.

@DeathVictor101 7 лет назад

hi ihave a problem my chiken silkie has 1 leg and she layed like 8 eggs after few weeks the eggs was rotten how do i stop the chiken getting those rotten egg is there any solution?

@kirklanddavis 10 лет назад

Hey sir what breed was the white and black hen in the furthest right nesting box? Thanks

@NJRESolar 10 лет назад

sptiz hauzen …sp

@NJRESolar 10 лет назад

Spitz hauzen german chicken

@Tacticaldino813 8 лет назад

I got 4 Rhode Island reds and 2 domiknickers (spelled wrong im sure) we aren't getting any eggs but I don't know which ones are eating them. So far I've tried oyster shells and a little grit.

@brianbuddy2ACP 7 лет назад

Are You Sure it's not some Wild Bird Eating them. For example, We had a Problem with Egg eating from Blue Jays

@Fuzzer227 3 года назад

Maybe this question in among the comments: I didn't read them all. Wondering how I can identify the culprit hen?? Ideas? Thanks in advance:)

@bambamnj Год назад

I'm going to make a couple comments and I really don't care anymore if people get upset with me. I am stating what I know from my experience and knowledge that I gain over the years that I raised chickens. If you don't agree, that is fine. I am no longer going to argue with people on this stupid platform. I offer my advice, if you don't want to accept it, that's fine. #1 - having nesting boxes at floor level is a bad idea. I know there are a lot of designs of chicken coops that have the nesting boxes at floor level but I do not agree that these are good designs. This is done more for the convenience of the person collecting the eggs then it is to provide the proper place for hens to lay. Given alternatives, hens will always lay their eggs higher than ground level. IMHO nesting boxes should be a min of 6 inches up off the floor, 1 to 2 feet off the floor is better. Hens should jump up onto a perch before entering the nesting boxes. This is not only natural for them but it prevents curious hens, whose natural inclination is to scratch and peck at anything on the floor, from randomly reaching into the nesting boxes and pecking at eggs. When the nesting boxes are up off the floor, hens will go up there when their natural laying instinct kicks in and not just to explore what is in the nesting boxes. Having nesting boxes at floor level is just asking for the encouragement of cannibalism. #2 - If you want to feed your hens the egg shells, never just throw them to your hens in the raw state. Take the egg shell crumble them up just a little then put them in the oven for 15-20 mins on like 250 F. Let the shells dry out a bit in the oven. Then set them out to cool. Once they shells have reached room temperature, they can be given to your hens. My advice is to mix the dried egg shells in with your chicken feed. Thanks for reading my post

@NJRESolar Год назад

Thank you for your comments

@libertadmartinez1891 Год назад

Hi. What can I do if my chicken only want to use one of the nesting box?

@sharmarkeqassim5816 4 года назад

That last tip was too harsh 😂 it hurt me 😔

@clinecrowd5 11 лет назад

I ran out of room, so writing another post....I also feed them an organic non GMO layer feed I buy from a farm in VA that makes it....because of this, do they even need oyster or egg shells...since they free range and get this special feed....also, what is your favorite broody hen...can i catch them brooding and order eggs to put under them so i dont have to raise them, and deal with a rooster?

@bt9124 3 года назад

A Cockerell will guard them.

@elheisenberg9249 6 лет назад

Wtf Why am i watching this? I don't even have chickens

@wilsonaye1334 5 лет назад

Same the ending was funny

@Tkohlenberg 5 лет назад

El Heisenberg I dont either why am i watching it!! Lol

@mckaylamoody7796 5 лет назад

😂😂😂

@urflofit2010 11 лет назад

I think the trouble is that they need the calcium and you need to break the shells up small enough to be unrecognizable to them and then feed it to them- just a thought

@annenewton5403 10 лет назад

mine are eating their eggs too, I tried mustard, they loved it, I only managed to get 2 eggs today for ourselves.eeek...I will have to buy golf balls or false eggs tomorrow.

@bwghall1 4 года назад

try fresh mustard it worked for my hens in the last 80 years. 100%

@bt9124 3 года назад

Or chilli powder mixed into a paste?

@everythingishere4475 11 лет назад

roll-away nesting boxes

@kerryg9573 5 лет назад

Is rough handling a meeting bird really what you do?

@johnransom539 11 лет назад

Have done that for years and have stopped this summer. Reason? Too much work, just compost egg shells and feed them a calcium supplement like crushed oyster shells. There is calcium in layer ration, so really they might need none at all.

@MrBogeyone 11 лет назад

Oyster shells are like a vitamin to them. By all means give them a small amount every week. Too much can cause kidney problems though. Also, Check into getting a rooster. Nothing wrong with fertile eggs if you gather them every day. Some people prefer them. Think of it this way, an egg is a single cell. The sperm that fertilizes it is a single cell. Two cells as long as it remains under 55 degrees (f). Nothing but pure unadulterated protein. (other words: healthy)