On the list of things I never thought could happen when raising chickens, the number one spot goes to…..drumroll, please….yep, you guessed it….a chicken who eats her own eggs!
“That’s crazy!” you say. To which I say, “Yes, yes it is.” But worse than crazy, it was a bit unexpected for me. And any of you who know me know that “unexpected” is not my forte.
At first, I thought it was just an accident. As I give them a few treats everyday (ok, more than a few…but they always act so darn hungry), I thought maybe one of the ladies had overindulged and surpassed the egg-sitting weight limit. (As a side question: Is there an egg-sitting weight limit?)
I felt bad for her and discretely tossed the cracked egg aside, so as not to embarrass her in front of her friends. I mean, chickens have feelings, too.
But then, a couple of days later, I found ANOTHER broken egg. Soon it became evident that it was a pattern and a problem. And I had no idea whatsoever how to solve it. My husband was a ton of help. Our conversation went something like this…..
Me: I think we have an egg-eating chicken.
Him: Ok, we should just kill the chicken that’s doing it.
Me (horrified face): YOU WOULD KILL ONE OF MY CHICKENS?!?
Him: Well, yea. That’s probably the only thing you can do once it’s a pattern.
Me: But she’s not hurting anyone!!!! I will find another solution!
And then the conversation ended as many of ours do regarding the chickens….he shook his head, smiled and walked away. That’s the sign of a good husband, by the way.
So how do you stop a chicken from eating eggs? Well, that’s a great question. And, as
usual, there are many suggestions. And most of them are just plain nutty. I, however, am willing to look like a total fool over and over again just to prove it can be done. Because that’s the kind of girl I am. If there were a test for stubborn, I would score in the genius range. Oh that doesn’t mean I’m smart, just incredibly pig-headed. So here’s where the fun began…..
Suggestion 1: Give your chickens milk.
Outcome 1: Chickens love milk. But then again, CHICKENS LOVE
EVERYTHING! Seriously, try to feed them straight buttermilk (blech), and they will love you forever. I get that they may be lacking calcium and milk would help, but in my case, it did not.
Suggestion 2: Put a couple of golf balls in the laying boxes so they will try to peck them. When they experience the fact that the golf balls can’t be broken, they will be cured.
Outcome 2: Not so much. I know chickens are not smart, but I think they are on to me with the old golf ball trick. The only thing that happens is the golf balls end up covered in poop. Ick.
Suggestion 3: Remove the insides of an egg through a pinhole, and
then insert mustard into the egg. Place it back in the nest and wait for the fun. Apparently, chickens hate mustard. But I’m skeptical.
Outcome 3: Ok, if you really think I could get the egg’s insides out through a PINHOLE, you’ve got as many issues as an egg-eating chicken. No way could I accomplish this.
Finally, I found the voice of reason on the internet. Her blog is “The Chicken Chick,” and unlike me, she really is a chicken expert. She had some pretty simple ideas regarding diet, egg collection times, and identifying the guilty party. I will begin to work down her list of suggestions and report back when something works.
In her words, “Egg eating need not be cause for culling a chicken from a backyard flock. With some minor coop revisions and changes in routine, even the most avid egg connoisseur can be rehabilitated.”
So hear that, all you chicken giver-uppers. We will prevail. But seriously, in the likely event we don’t, I will never, ever, never reveal the culprit I uncover. Just in case my husband is lurking around the coop with fried chicken on the brain…
Hugs and blessings always,
LITTLE JEN in the BIG WOODS
I think your husband has the quickest way to solve the problem. However, egg production would decline if very many hens were involved.