# Egg Eating Hen



## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I have a small flock of about 26 different breeds of hens. I raised them all from 2 day old chicks that I got from Myers. One hen- all white with feathers on her legs- has never layed any eggs in 2 yrs. I thought. 

Suddenly, the entire flock stopped laying- from about 18 eggs a day to Zero in the course of about 4 days. I figured something like a rat or o'possum was eating the eggs, but no evidence. The only thing I could see was that the white hen was always hanging around the nesting boxes... 

I took a good look at all the birds, no one had yolk on them but the white one was all yellow! I threw her out of the pen- she can sleep with the bucks. Lo and behold- 10 eggs the next day! Could be circumstantial- so I put a game camera in the coop. I caught her breaking eggs- I think she has been breaking and eating all her own eggs too.

She sure has healthy shiny feathers, huge and very healthy looking. What do I do with her? I'm for a .22 and stew pot. Anyone want her? I don't have time to deal with a cannibalistic chicken. :GAAH:


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## Goat_in_Himmel (Jun 24, 2013)

Hen stew is tasty.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Put in the stew pot.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Chicken dinner for sure.


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## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

Yep. She will make a great chicken stew.
Once they start breaking and eating eggs you can't really get them to stop, and you should get her out of there before she teaches the others her bad habits.

All chickens will eat a broken egg, and I wouldn't worry about that since it cleans up something that might attract predators, but if one learns to break good eggs then you have a problem.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Put an ad in Craigslist if you don't have the time yourself.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Put in some golf balls, when they pound their beaks into it, they will discover they can't break them and give up, but if it continues, stew pot.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Yep, stew pot on the schedule for tomorrow! I watched her break an egg today- if I would have had time,
she would be a freezer camp hen right now! The other hens haven't broken any, yet...


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Ok I'm NOT a chicken pro lol but my daughter got a silkie hen and she was eating her eggs too and I remembered something about oyster shells when I was in 4H, threw her some oyster shells and she stopped. Again not a pro and couldn't give you a good reason of why it would work......we honestly don't care if she eats them or not she's just a pet


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## MoonShadow (Mar 1, 2015)

I had one rooster who started eating eggs from the hens, we didn't take care if it quick enough and a few of the hens started doing it as well, unfortunately It's catchy. Heard it can be caused from calcium deficiency as well that why oyster shells sometimes work.


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## Goat_in_Himmel (Jun 24, 2013)

Also, protein deficiency can cause it. Check how much protein is in their feed, and maybe offer meat scraps from your meals? But I would still put that hen in the stewpot--egg eating is habit forming.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good advice and the oyster shell, forgot about that one.


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