Egg Eating Hens

Egg Eating Hens...please stop! 

The only sure fire way to prevent hens from eating uncollected eggs is to collect them regularly. Boring answer, right? Sorry.

Some handy contraptions have been created that allow the freshly laid egg to roll out of the nesting box and down a tube to a safe collection area which is out of reach to the birds. If you are an Engineer pardon my vagueness in describing the creative process.

Chickens eat their eggs for a few reasons. The first and pretty obvious reason is they have realized what is inside the hardened oblong object. They are laying delicious eggs. To a chicken the runny yoke is a delicacy and it’s simply slurped up with delight. Then there’s boredom and irritability. Often chickens get their first taste of raw egg after a clumsy, overweight hen crushes an egg in the nesting box. They all know it happened and all rush to get in on the action. If Blue Jays have access to the nesting box they too are culprits and teach your chickens to eat their own eggs. Adding golf balls, ceramic, marble or wooden eggs as a deterrent works well. It’s important to keep the faux eggs clean and sanitary since you are not removing them on a daily basis.