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Chicken help!!! #7672393
09/15/22 11:32 PM
09/15/22 11:32 PM
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 477
New York
J
Jim H Offline OP
trapper
Jim H  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 477
New York
About a month ago I introduced 6 hens about 12 weeks old to my flock of 2 year olds. One of the 2 year olds is now pecking the eggs and several others help clean up. What is the best way to break this? I'm thinking of a trail cam in the coop to find and separate the guilty party. I built a declined nest box to roll the eggs away, but they refuse to use it. I have a ceramic decoy egg and 3 golf balls in the nesting boxes, nothing is working. Help? Thanks!

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7672395
09/15/22 11:34 PM
09/15/22 11:34 PM
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 986
Louisiana
M
MattLA Offline
trapper
MattLA  Offline
trapper
M

Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 986
Louisiana
Are they hungry?? The first flock is gonna bully the younger one, atleast mine do. They do however get along in the egg laying department. Do you have a rooster in there with them?

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7672398
09/15/22 11:39 PM
09/15/22 11:39 PM
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 477
New York
J
Jim H Offline OP
trapper
Jim H  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 477
New York
No rooster. I have food in there at all times. The older ones bullied for about a week then they all settled in, pecking order established. They all act like they have always been together except for the egg pecking! I had 4-5 eggs a day from 6 hens. I have 12 now and zero eggs, just empty hammered shells!

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7672415
09/16/22 12:03 AM
09/16/22 12:03 AM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,750
Southern Virginia, 50 yr old
V
VaBeagler Offline
trapper
VaBeagler  Offline
trapper
V

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,750
Southern Virginia, 50 yr old
If your chickens are penned up start letting them out when you are home. If your chickens are already free ranging and you still are experiencing this then find the guilty party and make chicken and dumplings.
Once a chicken starts eating eggs there is no stopping it. The other chickens will get a taste for eggs to if given the opportunity. Find the problem and eliminate it.

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7672430
09/16/22 12:38 AM
09/16/22 12:38 AM
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,520
Champaign County, Ohio.
K
KeithC Offline
trapper
KeithC  Offline
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K

Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,520
Champaign County, Ohio.
Cull the egg eating chicken and any others with egg on their face. The behavior can quickly spread through the entire flock because they learn egg eating rapidly from observing other chickens doing it. Blinders and debeaking don't help much once they have already started eating eggs.

Keith

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7672462
09/16/22 05:43 AM
09/16/22 05:43 AM
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 352
Ontario
R
RustyShacklefrd Offline
trapper
RustyShacklefrd  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 352
Ontario
I have always had to get rid of the chicken. BUT my wife has had success filling an egg with hot mustard and putting it back in the coop. Tastes so bad they didn't do it again

Maybe try dumping a bottle of hot sauce on the eggs and let them have at it lol

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: RustyShacklefrd] #7672478
09/16/22 06:13 AM
09/16/22 06:13 AM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 6,535
Saginaw, Mi
M
micheal Offline
trapper
micheal  Offline
trapper
M

Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 6,535
Saginaw, Mi
Soup

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7672573
09/16/22 08:56 AM
09/16/22 08:56 AM
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 23,480
New Hampshire
N
Nessmuck Offline
trapper
Nessmuck  Offline
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 23,480
New Hampshire
I never mix older birds with new birds. The old birds ( after 3 laying sessions) go to the pot. And the new team takes ovah the coup.


It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.
Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7672589
09/16/22 09:25 AM
09/16/22 09:25 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 19,927
SEPA
L
Lugnut Offline
trapper
Lugnut  Offline
trapper
L

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 19,927
SEPA
As said above, identify the egg-eater and get rid of it.


Eh...wot?

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: RustyShacklefrd] #7672608
09/16/22 09:54 AM
09/16/22 09:54 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 62,657
Minnesota
330-Trapper Offline

trapper
330-Trapper  Offline

trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 62,657
Minnesota
Originally Posted by RustyShacklefrd
I have always had to get rid of the chicken. BUT my wife has had success filling an egg with hot mustard and putting it back in the coop. Tastes so bad they didn't do it again

Maybe try dumping a bottle of hot sauce on the eggs and let them have at it lol

How does she drain and fill an egg?


NRA and NTA Life Member
www.BackroadsRevised@etsy.com




Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: 330-Trapper] #7672641
09/16/22 10:50 AM
09/16/22 10:50 AM
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 352
Ontario
R
RustyShacklefrd Offline
trapper
RustyShacklefrd  Offline
trapper
R

Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 352
Ontario
Pm sent

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Nessmuck] #7672893
09/16/22 06:27 PM
09/16/22 06:27 PM
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 477
New York
J
Jim H Offline OP
trapper
Jim H  Offline OP
trapper
J

Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 477
New York
Originally Posted by Nessmuck
I never mix older birds with new birds. The old birds ( after 3 laying sessions) go to the pot. And the new team takes ovah the coup.

Lesson learned!

I put a trail cam in the coop, once identified, the guilty one will be delt with. Thanks eveyone.

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: KeithC] #7673098
09/16/22 11:30 PM
09/16/22 11:30 PM
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 849
Washington
wildflights Offline
trapper
wildflights  Offline
trapper

Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 849
Washington
Originally Posted by KeithC
Cull the egg eating chicken and any others with egg on their face. The behavior can quickly spread through the entire flock because they learn egg eating rapidly from observing other chickens doing it. Blinders and debeaking don't help much once they have already started eating eggs.

Keith


I just struggled with this over the last couple of years. I put a trail camera in the coop. Lots of hours of video with nothing worth seeing...didn't work.
I did the mustard in the blown out egg...didn't work. I separated each bird into a dog crate with a couple eggs and if the egg was pecked they met an axe...didn't work. I killed anything that I caught with egg on it's face...didn't work.

I ended up with a new brooder of chicks ready to turn loose in the coop and I killed the entire flock of older birds. I say nip it in the bud with a liberal application of an axe and full brooder.

Last edited by wildflights; 09/16/22 11:32 PM.

Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. -Gustav Mahler
Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: wildflights] #7673147
09/17/22 03:27 AM
09/17/22 03:27 AM
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,520
Champaign County, Ohio.
K
KeithC Offline
trapper
KeithC  Offline
trapper
K

Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,520
Champaign County, Ohio.
Originally Posted by wildflights
Originally Posted by KeithC
Cull the egg eating chicken and any others with egg on their face. The behavior can quickly spread through the entire flock because they learn egg eating rapidly from observing other chickens doing it. Blinders and debeaking don't help much once they have already started eating eggs.

Keith


I just struggled with this over the last couple of years. I put a trail camera in the coop. Lots of hours of video with nothing worth seeing...didn't work.
I did the mustard in the blown out egg...didn't work. I separated each bird into a dog crate with a couple eggs and if the egg was pecked they met an axe...didn't work. I killed anything that I caught with egg on it's face...didn't work.

I ended up with a new brooder of chicks ready to turn loose in the coop and I killed the entire flock of older birds. I say nip it in the bud with a liberal application of an axe and full brooder.


I have had to cull entire colonies of 70 coturnix quail hens and 20 roosters several times, when they have learned to egg eat. If you cull the guilty birds when they first start, you can stop it, but very soon after it's to late.

Keith

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7673158
09/17/22 04:55 AM
09/17/22 04:55 AM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,790
M.T.V. Alaska
Y
yukonjeff Offline
trapper
yukonjeff  Offline
trapper
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,790
M.T.V. Alaska
I never had that problem. I feed the shells back, maybe that would help. They fight over the empty shells I give back until they have enough, then walk right past them.

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: yukonjeff] #7673177
09/17/22 06:28 AM
09/17/22 06:28 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 19,927
SEPA
L
Lugnut Offline
trapper
Lugnut  Offline
trapper
L

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 19,927
SEPA
Originally Posted by yukonjeff
I never had that problem. I feed the shells back, maybe that would help. They fight over the empty shells I give back until they have enough, then walk right past them.


We've never had an egg-eater either. We feed shells back along with most other table scraps. Some folks have told me that feeding shells will encourage egg-eating. I don't think it helps prevent or encourage the practice.


Eh...wot?

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7673200
09/17/22 07:30 AM
09/17/22 07:30 AM
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,064
NY
R
rendezvous Offline
trapper
rendezvous  Offline
trapper
R

Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,064
NY
Try collecting the eggs early as possible.


Let's go Brandon!
Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7673492
09/17/22 03:07 PM
09/17/22 03:07 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,108
mo.
N
nate Offline
trapper
nate  Offline
trapper
N

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,108
mo.
Kill the egg pecker, I feed my chickens any dirty eggs I have, only once had any trouble, it was a hen that was getting picked on and she hung out in the egg box and broke eggs. I've put unbroken eggs with broke eggs and the chickens clean up the broke ones and then go look for crickets..

Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7673495
09/17/22 03:18 PM
09/17/22 03:18 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,751
Central, SD
Law Dog Offline
trapper
Law Dog  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,751
Central, SD
Get some ceramic fake eggs they lose interest in pecking at them then.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: Chicken help!!! [Re: Jim H] #7673500
09/17/22 03:47 PM
09/17/22 03:47 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,758
West Virginia,age 49
cathryn Offline
bvr-takr-upr
cathryn  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,758
West Virginia,age 49
Dont kill them.i had some that started eating eggs and I did mustard and soft soap in blown out eggs. The softsoap filled ones stopped em in their tracks.


IF IDIOTS GREW ON TREES THIS PLACE WOULD BE AN ORCHARD !

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