can anyone tell me why some of our hens are eating there eggs?

Answer 1

eww, never heard of that kind of situation before!

Answer 2

Causes for hens eating their eggs

The causes that incite hens to eat their eggs usually result because of poor husbandry or management practices. Chickens do not naturally eat their eggs. Once the management of the flock is restored to an acceptable state, the egg eating will stop. The list of major causes and corrections are listed below. A factsheet entitled Prevention of Egg Eating discusses the subject in more detail.

If shells of the eggs are thin and weak, provide proper diets as discussed in the nutrition section to correct the problem.
Not enough nest space is provided. Provide at least one standard nest for each four hens.
Keep plenty of soft nesting material in the nest so eggs will have a cushion on which to lay.
Collect the eggs more regularly, at least 2 or 3 times daily. The longer the eggs remain in the nest, the greater chance of breakage and consumption.
Provide plenty of clean, fresh drinking water. Hens need greater amounts of water than other birds and may consume their eggs for the liquid content.
Cull non-laying hens from the flock. Refer to Culling Hens for assistance with this process.
Maintain a disease-free flock that is treated regularly for internal and external parasites.

Answer 3

Ok firstly sometimes the hens eat other hens eggs when they are jealous or clucky and see the other hens offspring as a threat.

Secondly when a hen has no grit in their diet, such as dirt, gravel, pebbles (roughage) they will eat their own eggs.

If they suspect their egg is deformed or the chicken inside dead they will eat it.

If they find there is little food, such as greens, vege scraps, laying mash, grain etc they will turn to their egg (shell and yolk) and eat it as it contains nourishment and protein.

Sometimes it happens by accident where one of their claws pierces the egg and they begin pecking at it and acquire/get a taste for it. This habit is very hard to stop. Ours usually copped an axe on the head if they did this, as they were no use to us. They would lay but consume their own produce.

I would suggest their nesting boxes to be partitioned and to have 2 checks a day for eggs. (one a couple of hours after they have first been fed and one late afternoon before locking them up to roost)

Also make sure they are eating the correct feed. Theres difference between mash. Growing mash for chickens (has hormone to make them grow) and laying mash for hens. They also eat wheat, vegetables and grass, grasshoppers/bugs, grit/dirt for roughage, If you ensure they have these on a regular basis, you will have happy ladies and an abundance of eggs.

Another hint is when they cackle its usually to boast they laid an egg you know the book book bakurk sound. If you listen out for that it will give you an idea of around what time of the day they lay their eggs so you can set a time to go and collect them before the hens get stuck into their own eggs.....
Hope this helps.

Answer 4

You've had some good answers; provide oyster grit, extra nest boxes (perhaps away from the first group of boxes as well) and bedding; remove the eggs as soon as possible.
If you used eggshell in their feed for extra calcium it can turn into a habit, so offer oyster grit and snails instead.
If despite extra calcium and space one or two persist you may have to try to figure out which ones are doing it and cull.

Answer 5

usually a sign of the hen trying to protect the eggs from pr editors.
we had a situation of a rabbit eating her babies feet ,my children's mates handled them when,first born,and the mother started eating ,all bunnies survived .

Answer 6

Just a guess: cannibalism occurs when there are too many of the same sort of animal in a territory. I would like to know the right answer to this one, too. I'll try and do research on it.

Answer 7

Are you sure its the hen?? I think most f the time its the male doing it unless there is no male there you know its her.

Answer 8

I've heard they sometimes eat the shells if they haven't got enough grit in their diet to make more eggshells...but I have no evidence to back this up!

Answer 9

they may not be getting enough grit try a bowl of oyster shell grit or whatevers availble in your area

Answer 10

if the eggs are being hatched they do that as there is something wrong with their unborn , mice do it also to unwell babies, sick isnt it