Do you keep oyster shell or some other source of calcium for them to eat as needed? The only time I've heard of egg eating is when they're experiencing calcium deficiencies. I mix about a 3 lb coffee can of oyster shell in with a 50 lb bag of food. I also found a supplement block at Tractor Supply called a "Flock Block" which has supplements including calcium. Haven't had any egg eating problems with my flock over the past two years while keeping them supplied with calcium.
It can go from the shell being soft and they're interested to that they're just hungry and not getting enough food. Maybe it's being picked on by the others and is not getting fed because of the others. I too had that problem a while back.
Yep, they're free range-they come and go as they please over 14 acres, but in the last two weeks they started eating the eggs out of the nest boxes! Maybe because of all the snow we have? They don't head outside so much when it's nasty outside....
Do you keep oyster shell or some other source of calcium for them to eat as needed? The only time I've heard of egg eating is when they're experiencing calcium deficiencies. I mix about a 3 lb coffee can of oyster shell in with a 50 lb bag of food. I also found a supplement block at Tractor Supply called a "Flock Block" which has supplements including calcium. Haven't had any egg eating problems with my flock over the past two years while keeping them supplied with calcium.
No coop (huge barn)
Totally free range on 14 acres-they come and go from the barn as they please
Fed 3x per day, layer mash, scratch grains, cracked corn. Plus they pick up what the horses drop and also get some kitchen scraps
I'm so confused as to why they started doing this
Sounds like they are well fed and have room to run. I'd go with the calcium shortage. Our run seems to be over an old drive way or something. I provide oyster shell, but they ignore it and scratch the dirt away in their run and peck in the gravel, lots of it, they turn up.
The drive up into our barn is always being stirred up by the chickens. I rake the rocks back in at least once a week during warm weather.
I am going with the calcium issue as well. My hens ate 1 egg due to this issue. I usually feed Layena which has calcium and magnesium in the crumbles. For what even reason i bought flock raiser, it has no extras. I ended up buying Cal/Mag supplement for feed. It ended the issue.
I have black sex links and red sex links. The black sex links had soft shells reds did not. The grew out of it. The black sex links give a great egg now. Large egg also. I never changed there diet or tried to stop them from eating it. It was like a dog pile. The hen would drop the soft egg as she was scratching around and every chicken and rooster would try to get some of it.
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