Help I have 6 ex battery chix are eating there own eggs, why I dunno.
We tried putting old eggs in filled with chilli sauce off my take away kebabs and they even ate that ( too hot for me and I thought I would teach them a lesson)
Can anyone help
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Help chicken eating there eggs issues
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Posted 3 years ago #
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FYI it is mainly mammals that have the receptors that detect chilli - birds don't as evolutionary forces meant the chilli plant was happy the birds ate them as the seeds passed through undamaged and were distributed far and wide. Therefore your chilli eggs had no effect on them!
Posted 3 years ago # -
Try a handful of oyster shells every few days with their feed.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Put them in a cage so that when they lay their eggs, the eggs roll out of the cage into a trough where you can collect them unscathed.
You won't find any of these chickens doing that 'egg eating' nonsense :
Posted 3 years ago # -
oh fuggin great another plan blown to poo
can anyone give any advice pleeeeeeeeeeze
Posted 3 years ago # -
Grizzlygus
I am a bit of a sad git re my Ex Bat chix , I would be happier them eating there egggs and er happy
Fug I sound like that River Cottage twonk
Posted 3 years ago # -
Once they get a taste for it they won't stop
Posted 3 years ago # -
You might find it's just one of them, infra-red webcam? followed by a barbaque. Or try getting up earlier.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Mustard in the egg instead of chilli is meant to do the trick. If the shells are a bit soft or thin the oyster shell as above should help.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Is it dark where they lay? If not make it dark as that'll help. The other thing is to make the bottom of the nesting boxes slope so that the eggs roll under some sort of a cover.
Mine occassionally accidentally break an egg as one lays quite thin shelled eggs, - they do eat it but never purposefully break one.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Yep, empty egg with some mustard in is apparently the way to fix it. Hopefully only another 5 weeks till mine start laying.
Some **** knicked one last night though. Never thought I'd have to secure the coop with locks.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Whilst of heard of the mustard trick I've never heard of it working for anyone but I'm sure it must have at times.
I've just added to POL hens that've started laying - shame they don't lay in the nesting boxes unlike the ex-batts who must be cleverer....
Posted 3 years ago # -
mmm . . . interesting, I think the best thing to do is eat the cannibal chickens and get some new ones, win win!
Posted 3 years ago # -
Firstly I'd check for rats.
Are you giving them oyster-shell or grit? Our chickens would love to scoff their own eggs - if one gets dropped they'll clear it off the floor in no time at all. However - giving them grit in a mini-hopper to enhance their diet strengthens their shells so that they can't break the shells. Ours are on an organic layers pellet and get the occasional scrap and their eggs are really thick shelled. It's not expensive, we got a huge 10KG bag for about £6 that's still going strong after two years.
Oh - I don't think it's particularly cannibalistic, it's just nature IMO.
For more advice go to The Omlet Forum. They're a really helpful bunch and what hasn't been asked and answered about chickens on that forum isn't worth knowing.
Posted 3 years ago # -
A 10kg bag of organic layers pellets lasted you over 2 years? I guess you mean a 10kg bag of grit/oyster shell? Grit is for helping them break up their food and oyster shell is for their shells though as they get older the shells tend to get thinner which is one of the reasons battery hens are changed after a year or so - they can still lay quite well and the eggs get bigger but the eggs are more fragile and sometimes off shapes.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Just lay down the law to them Andy. Sounds about time these birds learn who's boss.
Posted 3 years ago # -
put some dodgy bacon in their feed, that'll teach the swines.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Definatly not rats I have caught the chix eating the eggs
Ta for the advice any more greatfullly recieved
Posted 3 years ago # -
Blimey, something on this forum I can actually help with. You need to get a cockerell and put him in with the hens for a bit. He will hopefuly(assuming he's not a gay cockerell) give the hens a good seeing to and your problem of them eating the eggs will be solved. Promise
Posted 3 years ago # -
I didn't know that cockerels would stop the hens eating their eggs! But getting one is quite a price to pay just for that - especially if you have neighbours.... I would love to have a cockerel or two to be able to breed hens - even raise my own to eat.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Good plan but a cockeral is a bit too loud and my neighbours would object somewhat
Posted 3 years ago #
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