As we approach the chickens' second birthday, one thing we have learned during our many adventures with indoor chicken keeping is to always expect the unexpected. The girls haven't eaten their eggs in over a year and half...until last week. We came home twice in one week to find half eaten eggs in their nesting box. There is nothing like seeing dried egg yolk in their pin to remind you that they are here to be productive and useful not just pets. If we wanted an animal that was for companionship, we would have a cat or dog, but we have chickens. Chickens who have a job to do! The egg eating seems to have stopped for now, but I hope it doesn't start up again. At some point, we will have to face the possibility of having to eat the chickens which would be hard after living together for two years, but I hope that option doesn't have to come any sooner.
Put out fake eggs. I use plastic Easter Eggs. This can help deter them as they will peck at the plastic ones. Or if they are board, try putting seeds inside one of those plastic containers that berries come in and let them work at that during the day.
ReplyDeleteI use ceramic eggs for bait eggs. Mine only seem to get into egg eating when they have insufficient food or insufficient calcium. The calcium deficiency is directly related to an overabundance of treats....
ReplyDeleteI read on a British site that the chicken owners blow out intact eggshells and fill them with hot mustard. Apparently, a nasty egg or two does the trick.
ReplyDeleteWe give ours oyster shells mixed in their food and also dry used eggshells on the woodstove insert (in a bread tin) and crush them and then sprinkle them on the ground for them. You could probably put your leftover shells in a bread tin in the oven for a little bit (like when you're baking something). My mom taught me that eggshell trick...and she's had chickens a lot longer than I have ;-) I love the ideas of the other writers!! How neat!
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