[chooksbury]

   Went out and got some hemcore yesterday.  fantstic stuff - citronella scented and all and sis went and put it in.  (I've just come out of hospital so not so hands on for a few days).  Anyway, this morning, Lucy went in to lay .. and I noticed her hovering around the corridor and just left her to it as I don't like to disturb the girls when one is on the nest.  However, looking about 15min later, I saw Matilda with something in her beak, and the others frantically chasing her.  I went out .. and HORROR    it was a bit of Lucy's egg shell !  I looked in, and there was yolk all over the floor.  I opened the nest boxes and they were locked closed.  Lucy had obviously laid in the corridor .. and the egg had broken ..

Does this mean they'll have the egg eating habit now ?  I distracted them straight away with some spinach by the back door while I went in and cleaned up .. and opened the  nest boxes.  But I'm really worried this may start something.  Erin suggested spraying an egg with anti peck so that they go to it and think blearghhh not touching that ...

Any ideas ?

[joyfull]

It was probably a one off as it had broken. Don't worry just yet, if the shells are all still hard then the time to worry is if you keep finding them with peck holes in their nest boxes.

[craig1981]

ive been on crutches for 6 weeks and before i mastered the technique of bending to pick up eggs without bending my knee i must have dropped atleast 4 eggs which were gobbled up straight away  . however getting to the point they havnt touched any eggs in the last 3 weeks or so  so i wouldnt worry to much .

[chooksbury]

   Thanks .. I was very worried but since this morning, Matilda laid and didn't touch it, and Dorothy is sitting as I type .. with, I hope no thought of nomming her own tasty produce.  Phew ... I think !  But your messages were very reassuring !  By the way, the hemcore is fantastic !

[karlooben]

they must smell it  today i went to collect from under a girl who had just laided and i assume it was her who laided what i think was a soft shell and one of my white sussex could not of got in the box any quicker to grab the egg as i pulled it out .

[Catsmuvva]

Mine went through a short phase of egg eating when one started laying soft shells and even started attacking normal ones so I put a couple of rubber eggs in to confuse them. I don't know if they just got fed up of bouncing off them but it did the trick! I now keep them in all the time and Betty, the speaker of the house, seems to think it her duty to sit on them for half an hour or so a day & try to fool me she's actually laying...

[chooksbury]

   Chickens eh !  They really are the most peculiar and contrary beasts    Some days I wonder what I've let myself in for.  Then they all stand on the recycle bin to stare at me through the kitchen window like feathery psychos .. and I laugh and KNOW why I got them