Is this normal? UPDATE

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PaulineM

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Is this normal? UPDATE
« on: November 04, 2010, 10:42 »
Hi
I got 2 new POL hens and have eventually let them free into my flock of 6 as one laid an egg the day before yesterday and there was no nestboxes for them to lay. They are getting along reasonably well obviously with pecking going on but we are keeping a close eye on them, however one of the new girls laid another egg today on the stable floor and much to my dismay the egg was eaten!  >:(
One of my girls does lay extremely thin shelled eggs and though I have tried everything she still lays them, as a result she will break her eggs and eat them if they are too thin shelled, so I do think it has been her that has eaten this egg. Do you think she has done this because she could smell that it was a new girl that had laid it or is she going to eat their eggs from now on. These new eggs are thick shelled so it did take some effort for her to break it.
Advice really welcomed  :(
« Last Edit: November 13, 2010, 13:04 by PaulineM »
1 Hubby, 2 children, 2 Welsummers, 1 Leghorn Banty, 1 Wyandotte Banty, 1 Barnevelder, 2 Isa Brown, 1 Rhode Island, 1 Goldline,1 Maran, 2 Mottled Leghorns, 1 Leghorn cockerel & 2 Jack Russells

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TeaPots

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Re: Is this normal?
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2010, 11:06 »
I am sorry to tell you this, but it is all too common. Once a hen gets the taste of a yummy scrummy egg, she will not only go to the ends of the earth to get into her own eggs, and any egg that she spies unguarded, she will teach this nasty habit to all the other girls. If you want to prevent that from happening, you have to separate her from the others. 

It is almost impossible to break that habit, though people recommend some things that might help...fill an egg with mustard, so it tastes nasty, or put a china egg in their, so she will peck and peck and give up cos it wont break. (I advise AGAINST this, as it seems to teach them to peck harder and more efficiently when they do happen upon a real egg.  What does work though, is to remove the eggs as SOON AS they are laid, or use a roll-away nestbox.

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PaulineM

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Re: Is this normal? UPDATE
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2010, 13:08 »
Hi
I just wanted to post an update so that anyone searching with a similar problem will know how things have gone.  :)
Since the egg eating incident all has settled well and there have been no further egg eating.  Once my new girls laid their eggs in the nestboxes their eggs have been left alone. 
I do think it must have been my hens reaction to intruders in their flock.  ::)

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TeaPots

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Re: Is this normal? UPDATE
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2010, 20:50 »
If the egg was a soft shelled pullet egg, or was cracked from being laid outside, they would have eaten it. The problem is when they deliberately break an egg and eat it. I am really glad things have settled so well for you all.  :D



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