The first time I drop an ball I ’d collected from the coop , the frier flocked to the orchis and devoured it entirely within seconds . Like some variety of outlawed drug , this first taste of toothsome egg is said to be the gateway to foresightful - termegg eatinginside the chicken coop .
The same is read for any knowing egg feeding , but many chicken keepers fee supernumerary egg for extra protein during a summertime molt , or they will fix up some eggs for wintertime warmness and delectation when dry feed is the only food on the menu . It ’s a controversial practice for those who live egg - eat troubles , but egg - feeding in all probability is n’t the real job , rather it ’s a symptom of something big .
Ensure Privacy
chicken prefer to lay ball in strict privacy . Nest boxesshould be well approachable , dim , quiet and unagitated . In my testicle - assemble experience , my troop leaves its eggs alone in the nest boxwood until I afford the doorway and let the igniter inside . Once the eggs are in the spotlight , perhaps they ’re rushing to protect them , or to put down them rather than allow them to be ask when the eggs are vulnerable . During certain prison term of the yr , especially when my Australorp is reflective , the slew is more likely to seek to destroy the testicle when I pull together them — it ’s necessary to lure the flock elsewhere with treats before I collect ball sometimes . Other times of the class , they do n’t seem to take care so much .
Weakened Eggs
What bet like ballock eating could be nothing more than inadvertent breakage . If a biddy ’s egg breaks , she ’s unlikely to waste the magic elixir inside . For chickens , anything and everything eatable is fair game . If you discover a broken egg inside the nest box with its insides missing , inspect the case that ’s left . Is it thin , lenient or otherwise different than the shells of other egg you ’ve collected and cracked ? Is thebeddingunderneath pawn with egg , suggesting break , or does it seem to be use up from the top with sporting betting underneath ?
Calcium Supplementation
The hen layingweak eggsmight not be getting the calcium she needs . Offer free - option huitre shell grit to the flock if your provender does n’t contain all the Ca a troop needs . Some provender specifically mention not to fertilize extra atomic number 20 , so be certain to read the bag .
It ’s authoritative to understand how atomic number 20 assimilation works . Dietary calcium does n’t go straight to the reproductive system . chicken absorb atomic number 20 from the diet to build strong bones first , and then the reproductive organisation pull out Ca from the backlog in the bones and repurposes the mineral for building secure eggs . If a biddy is eating eggs and most of the shell is also overlook , she might be trying to supplement herself with atomic number 20 .
Consider The Diet
If the mountain is eating too many kitchen scraps and not enough of their provender ration with added Ca , limit or temporarily eliminate kitchen scrap from the dieting until the egg quality increase . Also , consider whether the flock is eatingenough feed . If you ’re rationing feed to control costs , but you ’re not feeding them enough , hungry chickens will eat eggs . thirsty chickens could also be calcium deficient .
Aging Hens
honest-to-god hen bring about thin - shelled testis might not be able-bodied to produce stronger eggs . As a natural side effect of the aging unconscious process , chicken can become limited in how much calcium they ’re able-bodied to sop up from senesce bones to deposit into their eggshells . Gathering eggs quickly and handling them with nonliteral kid gloves can be the only elbow room to cover these eggs . Some people might advocate culling the old hen that are producing poor - calibre nut , but I wo n’t advise that — there ’s more to a timber chicken life than laying eggs .
Collect Eggs Promptly
Because volaille enjoy sharing a preferred nest box or two , it ’s improbable that you do n’t have enough nest loge , unless your flock is large . To turn back hen from walking back and forth over a pile of eggs like a doormat , collect egg often . If you have it off you ’re getting a 12 eggs a day , for example , it ’s wise to hoard eggs several time throughout the day so as to get the cleanest , highest quality eggs potential . This practice will help economize delicate ball from being give way and wipe out by the flock .
My own flock eats egg because I offer them as treats , but we ’ve never developed a serial nest box ball eater . If you ’re inclined to feed eggs for protein or to reuse calcium by proffer eggshells to the flock , there ’s no reason to hesitate . It ’s a myth that feed egg leads to nut feeding . Egg eat up is most often a symptom of another trouble .
