Caught my chicken red handed, eating an egg!

[FowlRancher]

So every once in a while I'll find a broken egg in my coop, the current design isn't the best so I reworked it so it would be safer in the laying boxes I have. I then noticed busted up eggs in places they had no business being and started to get suspicious... Yesterday I opened up the coop to see my hen, Broomhilda, smashing open an egg and eating it!

Why did they just recently start doing this? Will other chickens take after this behavior? What can I do to stop it?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Usually they start really trying to eat eggs when they need more calcium or protein

 

[Isadora]

My egg eater learned how to do it by accident. Some soft shelled eggs were laid and broke and she discovered they were tasty and started breaking them on purpose.
It could also be a nutritional deficiency, like they're low on protein or calcium.
Or the coop could be too small, so they're cramped and bored.
Rollaway nest boxes are a good investment for chronic egg eaters.

 

[SilverBirds]

Sounds like you have an egg eater. She'll teach it to your other hens which is not good.

How to stop and prevent egg eating.

-Keeping the boxes in a dark, quite place. That way she can't see the egg when they are laid.

-Collecting eggs throughout the day. When a nest gets full of eggs, it's easy for them to bump into each other and crack. This is how most egg eaters start.

-Roll-a-way nesting boxes. These as the name says, roll the eggs were the hens can't reach. It also prevents broodiness.

-Giving your chickens calcium. Your hen may have a calcium or protein deficiency and eating her eggs is the only way she can get it. Low calcium levels also affect how hard the shells are. Make sure you are giving your girls good quality layer feed and oyster shells.

-Some people fill the eggs with mustard (which most chickens hate). This way when a chicken breaks open and tries to eat it, they get a nasty tasting surprise. You may need to fill more then one egg.

Good luck!

 

[aart]

So every once in a while I'll find a broken egg in my coop, the current design isn't the best so I reworked it so it would be safer in the laying boxes I have. I then noticed busted up eggs in places they had no business being and started to get suspicious... Yesterday I opened up the coop to see my hen, Broomhilda, smashing open an egg and eating it!

Why did they just recently start doing this? Will other chickens take after this behavior? What can I do to stop it?

Was the remaining shell good and thick and hard?
How big is your coop, in feet by feet?
How many birds do you have?
What all and how exactly are you feeding?

 

[Yardmom]

If eggs are cracked already it is normal for chickens to eat eggs. I have even heard it said it is an instinct to keep predators away. Most chickens that eat eggs are not getting what they need in their food. First make sure she is getting enough calcium. Layer feed is not always enough. There should be egg shells and/or oyster shells in the coop at all times. If that is already happening try a higher protein food. Hopefully your hen is not one of the few who who eat eggs just because they can.

 

[abfiegen]

I resolved my hen's egg eating by locking her in the coop alone for 24 hrs with a ceramic egg. She pecked her brains out until she got bored. Hasn't eaten an egg since.