When it comes to raising chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, quails and guinea fowls, collecting eggs is best done in a timely fashion in order to avoid egg breakage and egg eating. Most hens have typically finished laying their eggs by 10 AM. Therefore, collecting eggs earlier in the morning and during the day is good practice to ensure your eggs’ quality.

If your chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, quails or guinea fowls are eating their own eggs, you need to break this habit immediately. The longer they do it, the harder it becomes to fix.

The problem of egg layers eating their own eggs — a form of cannibalism — is common, and is NOT impossible to stop. However, the longer you wait to correct this issue, the harder it will be to cure your egg-eating hens from this terrible habit.

SO WHY DO HENS EAT THEIR OWN EGGS?

There are numerous things that can contribute or encourage egg eating. Here are 10 reasons why chickens eat their eggs and also 10 ways to stop your chickens from eating their own eggs.

1. OVERCROWDING:

An overcrowded coop is the most common culprit of egg-eating behavior in chickens. Overcrowding also causes cannibalism and may make your chickens fall sick too.

To solve this problem, make sure you have enough space for each hen in the coop. The recommended space per bird in the coop and run is 4 square foot per bird if they are not able to free range. If you can free range, the space allotment is not quite so important since they have the outside to explore. Also reduce your chicken density and remove flock stresses like having too many roosters.

2. NOT ENOUGH NEST BOXES:

Eggs easily break if multiple hens are trying to squeeze into the same box – just two to three steps and crack! broken eggs. Of course, there is one possibility that you have an egg-eater in your flock but if you’ve harvested without broken eggs before, then there’s an issue with nest boxes. Even when it’s not egg-laying time, chickens will access the nest box and display pre-laying nesting behavior.

To solve this problem, make sure there should be a minimum of one nest box for every four hens. You can also use roll-away nest boxes so the eggs disappear out of the hens sight the moment they are laid.

3. LACK OF WATER:

Hens have been known to crack eggs if they are thirsty. Even when you see wild birds eating your tomatoes, red peppers or strawberries in your garden or field, it's all because they are thirsty and looking for water.

To solve this problem, Ensure clean, fresh water is always available. Sometimes bully birds will guard the food and water, so put out a second or third station so the more timid flock members can safely eat and drink.

4. HUNGER:

Not enough feed available to the hens. A ‘free feeding’ policy should ensure this doesn’t happen.

To solve this problem, always make sure your chickens eat good feed and get full daily. A good quality 16-18% protein feed should be sufficient during the laying season, unless the bird is molting, in which case, higher protein content is needed.

5. UNBALANCED DIET:

Now if you already have a spacious coop and the right number of nest boxes, but your hens still have the nasty habit of egg eating, it may be a sign of something more serious. Egg-laying chickens require higher calcium intake in their diet. Naturally, they will try to figure out a way to solve the problem themselves by pecking and eating the egg shells – the egg shell is pure calcium. Then, they’ll accidentally (and unknowingly) discover that the contents of the eggs are tasty and jumpstart the egg-eating habit!

To solve this problem, Increase the protein and calcium levels in the diet a little bit. Don't overdo it as you could then start ending up with shell-less eggs instead. 2% more on a daily basis is fine. Alternatively, give the chickens commercial chicken layers feed. It's got adequate protein and calcium content enough to cater for laying chickens.

6. BOREDOM:

Now imagine this, a 5-hour road trip with the kids. What happens? Are they friendly and nice or are they bickering with each other. We bet it’s the latter. Chickens are like kids. Keep them together in one space without anything to do, and boom a war ensues. They’ll look for fun and then without any warning they’ll start fighting each other. And once they’ve figured that the eggs’ contents taste amazing, well, say goodbye to your Sunday harvest.

To solve this problem, Try to keep them occupied, if they free range, you likely won’t have a problem. If they are confined, you need to offer other activities to keep them busy – tetherball, scratching etc. Once they have sampled an egg they know how good it is, so keeping them busy is important. Add toys and distractions outside in the run or on the range. Also try to free range your chickens. Egg eating is less likely in pastured hens. Also try to free range your chickens. Egg eating is less likely in pastured hens.

7. TOO MUCH LIGHT:

Hens like a darkened, private area in which to lay their eggs.

To solve this problem, try to cut down the light by using curtains or dimming lights. If the hen can’t see the egg, she won’t peck at it.

8. STRESS:

Stress is too much for the chickens to handle that they’ll start pecking the egg shells until it breaks and the egg yolk spills out. A stressed hen may eat her own eggs simply because she is stressed by the other hens. Add toys and distractions outside in the run or on the range. Also try to free range your chickens. Egg eating is less likely in pastured hens. Also reduce your chicken density and remove flock stresses like having too many roosters.

To solve this problem, Try to keep them occupied, if they free range, you likely won’t have a problem. If they are confined, you need to offer other activities to keep them busy. Also give stressed chickens more vitamins or stress-pack.

9. INEXPERIENCED HENS:

Hens new to laying can often produce eggs with weak or thin shells. Sometimes these will crack on impact and the hen will sample the goods. Curiosity is a hen trademark!

To solve this problem, Increase the protein and calcium levels in the diet a little bit. Don't overdo it as you could then start ending up with shell-less eggs instead. 2% more on a daily basis is fine. Alternatively, give the chickens commercial chicken layers feed. It's got adequate protein and calcium content enough to cater for laying chickens.

10. CURIOSITY:

Sometimes, chickens are just plain ‘or curious and they play with or peck at their eggs. It could be due to boredom, but sometimes they see a crack, speck, or otherwise on their egg, and break into it. An egg that was broken, accidentally, is something interesting to your hen; they will definitely check it out.

To solve this problem, pick up laid eggs in the morning and don't let the chickens spend too much time with the eggs. Keep checking several times a day if more eggs have been laid, then collect them as soon as possible. Also try to free range your chickens. Egg eating is less likely in pastured hens.

If you have a hen who is determined to eat eggs despite all these tips, there are a few extreme measures you can take:

1. Use roll-away nesting boxes.

When a hen lays an egg in one of these boxes, the egg rolls out of the nesting box, and the hen can't reach it.

2. Place golf balls in the nests.

In theory, the hens will tire of pecking at these faux eggs, which can help to break their habit of pecking actual eggs.

3. Fill an eggshell with mustard, which chickens hate.

Make a small hole at each end of an egg, and blow out the contents. Then, squeeze yellow mustard inside the empty shell, and place the mustard-filled egg in the nesting box. Chickens lack the taste buds that humans have to enable them to feel the burn of hot and spicy foods so if plain mustard doesn't help, then mix it with 2 teaspoons of salt. Chickens find that much salt quite disagreeable and she will stop quite quickly.

4. Beak Clipping.

A little more draconian is clipping the beak. Only the very tip of the beak is trimmed so that it is more difficult for the hen to break the egg. Care must be exercised when doing this since the beak is living tissue and cutting too far down will cause bleeding and pain.

5. Cull the offender.

When you have tried everything but to no avail, simply cull the offender. This somewhat disagreeable solution has the benefit of being quick and simple. One way to tell which hen is eating the eggs is to fill one with food colouring. Use a syringe and needle to poke a small hole in the air space and break the membranes, shake the egg to scramble it inside the shell and then inject some food colour. Don't use red, stick to green, black or blue. You might also spot a hen with the remains of a broken egg stuck to her belly or egg yolk on her beak.