Prevention of egg consuming in chickens

20 December 2023

4 minute learn

It is crucial you handle your amenities so the hens by no means style a damaged egg, based on Penn State College poultry specialists. Prevention administration practices embody:

1. Scale back site visitors within the nesting space

Egg breakage is a serious purpose why hens begin consuming eggs. Extreme site visitors and eggs within the nesting space enhance the possibility of egg breakage. Some precautions embody:

• Present one 12“ x 12“ nest for each 4–5 hens in your flock. By no means have lower than 4 nesting bins. All the time find the nests not less than 2 toes off the bottom and not less than 4 toes away from the roosts.
• Discourage ground nesting. Establish darkish corners and sheltered areas beneath shelving or objects. These could also be extra engaging to hens than nest bins.
• Decide the place the hens want to nest. A well-liked nesting area can rapidly fill with eggs which can break towards one another. If many hens proceed to decide on the identical nest, enhance how typically eggs are collected all through the day to stop too many eggs in a single area.
• Maintain 2 inches of unpolluted, dry nesting materials within the nests always. Many eggs are cracked as a consequence of an absence of protecting padding in nesting bins. Some small producers will lower carpet pads and place within the backside of their nests to stop breakage. Nonetheless, these can simply change into contaminated with micro organism and harbor mites if not eliminated and cleaned or changed continuously.
• Take away all broody hens from the laying space. Broody hens scale back nesting area and trigger extra site visitors within the remaining nests. Different hens may lay their eggs the place the broody hen is, growing threat of breakage from too many eggs. Don’t scare hens out of nest bins. They could by accident break eggs on their method out.

2. Diet

Eggs include high-quality protein and fat that may be engaging to hens who are usually not already receiving correct diet. Present an entire ration formulated to fulfill the wants of laying hens. Feedstuffs like scratch grains and cracked corn are usually not acceptable on their very own. It could be tempting to combine these with an entire ration to lower prices, however this can dilute the ration, throw off the nutrient steadiness, and finally present much less of what the hens want.

Robust eggshells, which could be improved via diet, will assist stop egg consuming by stopping egg breakage. To maintain the shells sturdy, feed an entire ration and supply free-choice oyster shells or limestone as a calcium complement. Don’t combine further calcium straight into the feed. Present it in a separate pan that hens can’t climb or dustbathe in, or top-dress an entire ration when wanted.

By no means feed the hens used eggshells with out drying and smashing them to very fantastic particles. If the hen can affiliate the shell with the egg, she shall be inspired to select on the contemporary eggs within the coop.

3. Scale back stress

• Do not use brilliant lights in your coops, particularly close to the nesting space. Brilliant mild will increase nervousness and selecting habits.
• Don’t scare the hens out of the nesting bins. The sudden motion can break eggs within the field, which can provide the hens a style of egg and promote egg consuming.

4. Stop egg consuming by different animals

Predators equivalent to snakes, skunks, rats, weasels, and others will eat eggs and depart egg residue which might trigger your flock to develop a style for eggs, too.

In case your hens are consuming eggs, they are going to normally have dried yolk on their beaks and sides of their heads. Holes pecked in eggs generally is a signal of tried egg consuming. Egg-eating hens can be seen scouting the nests for freshly laid eggs to eat.

When you do catch an egg eater, cull her from the flock without delay. Egg consuming is a foul behavior that can multiply the longer you let it proceed. If one hen begins consuming eggs, different hens will quickly observe. Roosters can even change into egg eaters.

Prevention is the one confirmed remedy. Acquire eggs typically and early within the day. Most hens will lay earlier than 10:00 a.m. every morning. The longer the eggs are within the barn, the higher the possibility they are going to break or be eaten.

Reviewed by Dr. Paul Patterson, Division of Animal Sciences. Additional evaluate and edits by Ashley Bigge, Penn State Extension.