[trinacooke]

Hi all I am a bit miffed after all my effort with my chickens stopping the bum pecking which is - by the way going really well scabbs healing and feathers growing back 

I have had a couple of the eggs which were being layed early look as if they had been pecked, one I found cracked open and then today one egg totally eaten only a little yolk left (one was thankfully untouched) we normally get three so they must have eated two today!  .

I was back late today and Hubby had been on night shift so was asleep most of the day so did not check.

Anyway I got an empty egg shell and filled it with hot mustard paste .... put it in and the horrible chickens (the best unsensered thing I could say!!) have eaten the lot and came back for more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what do I do now!!!! I did read a golf ball or wooden egg that they peck and then get no luck so give up but does this work -

or am I just a really bad chicken keeper as everything is seeming to be going wrong! 

ideas please

Trina

[colliebird]

Try putting something really bitter in the empty eggshells.  No lemon, they'll eat it!!

Valerie

Hi all I am a bit miffed after all my effort with my chickens stopping the bum pecking which is - by the way going really well scabbs healing and feathers growing back 

I have had a couple of the eggs which were being layed early look as if they had been pecked, one I found cracked open and then today one egg totally eaten only a little yolk left (one was thankfully untouched) we normally get three so they must have eated two today!  .

I was back late today and Hubby had been on night shift so was asleep most of the day so did not check.

Anyway I got an empty egg shell and filled it with hot mustard paste .... put it in and the horrible chickens (the best unsensered thing I could say!!) have eaten the lot and came back for more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what do I do now!!!! I did read a golf ball or wooden egg that they peck and then get no luck so give up but does this work -

or am I just a really bad chicken keeper as everything is seeming to be going wrong! 

ideas please

Trina

[karlooben]

mine used to do that nearly all  the time but now  its only occasionally , unless i go to collect the eggs with them still loose in the run then its a case of 'oii thats mine i am having it ' an they crack an smash them before i can get close enough to grab the egg ... sometimes its funny but not all the time .

[andreadon]

that really is bad luck!

one of our ex-bats lays soft-shelled or shell-less eggs all the time and when she does, they all tuck in!  It doesn't matter how dark it is when i open up the pop-hole, if there's one there they eat it.  and it's hell trying to get them off it, because they go "i was eating that!!"

Luckily, they haven't yet been tempted to crack open a solid shell. *fingerscrossed*

I think yours must have asbestos stomachs if they can eat all that mustard!
You could try putting the purple spray on the eggs: if it worked for their bottoms! 

[Vember]

one of our ex-bats lays soft-shelled or shell-less eggs all the time

Have you tried adding some limestone powder to their feed Andreadon? Helps give them some extra calcium?

You can get it at horsey feed type places as it's given to fowls I believe 

Just a thought, it might be worth a try

Sarah

[andreadon]

good idea, sarah - i'd just given up really - she never seems to have a problem getting them out and she has had a tough life!
i'll look into that.
 

[trinacooke]

Hi Today I have 3 eggies again untouched  I went out at the right time for the white one as it was still warm so got that one, went out and came home a couple of hours later and another 2 unbroken eggies in the nest box - so fingers crossed perhaps the Mustard did do the trick?

I wont get too excited yet but maybe

Trina 

[WhatCameFirst]

Perhaps it is a protein thing, which might explain the feather pecking too?  Try giving  them some cat food. 

[colliebird]

For more protein, I give mine meal worms that I've started to rear myself (costs almost nothing) and maggots that I get cheap at the fishing tackle store.  The hens absolutely love them. Makes a change from fruit, greens etc.

Valerie

Perhaps it is a protein thing, which might explain the feather pecking too?  Try giving  them some cat food. 

[T C]

Hi, my hubby has made for me nest boxes that when the hen lays the egg the egg rolls gently down a slope, into a box at the back of the nest box, its out of the way of any bored hens that maybe looking for just that something different to eat,i had this problem years ago when i kept a few hens, they were ok when i was at home and visting them giveing them tit bits etc, but if i went out for the day, thats when they would eat the eggs, this time around i decided to get that one sorted out, and the egg rolling away system works perfect, T C