The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: The Relic on May 04, 2009, 11:22:33 pm

Title: cannibal chickens?
Post by: The Relic on May 04, 2009, 11:22:33 pm

the last couple of weeks the eggs my chooks are laying have been cracked open when ive gone to collect them. at 1st i thought crows were getting into their coop but now i think they are pecking them themselves. ive been going out every chance i get to collect them but as they lay at different times during the day ive always gone out to a to the sight of munched eggs. any ideas anyone

Title: Re: cannibal chickens?
Post by: doganjo on May 05, 2009, 01:00:55 am

It may not be all of them.  Can you separate off one of your hens at a time to eliminate them from the enquiries :-)

Title: Re: cannibal chickens?
Post by: The Relic on May 05, 2009, 01:17:44 am

kinda hard they lay where they sleep (a converted trailer) so when i let them out in the morning whatever eggs have been laid i collect the others just lay during the day so i don't know who the culprit would be.

still have a hunch its crows.

have you had this problem

Title: Re: cannibal chickens?
Post by: doganjo on May 05, 2009, 01:21:32 am

I did have in my last place.  Found tiny holes in the eggs almost every day.   Had about 20 hens, various breeds so I split them into two groups then again, and again.  Eventually over a period of time and through elimination discovered it was just the one hen.  She was separated for three weeks on her own.  She never touched her own eggs, in fact was sitting on them, so I then put her back with the others and never had another chipped egg.

Title: Re: cannibal chickens?
Post by: shetlandpaul on May 05, 2009, 10:56:08 am

last year we did. the hoodies would wait for all humans to disapear and then raid. They even spotted me at the widow with my .22 twitch a curtain and they would be gone.  If they are like ours the eggs would be outside and totalled. sounds more like a hen. hopefully they will stop but if not you will have to id the guilty one.

Title: Re: cannibal chickens?
Post by: northfifeduckling on May 06, 2009, 05:00:10 pm

before one gets a taste for eating them and tells the others! A friend had to despatch her first lot of hens as everything failed she had tried to change the BAD BAD habit. I'm glad ducks don't peck. If the odd one of mine is cracked it is because they walk all over them or built a nest and then lay the eggs on the hard floor where they'd taken the hay away from during the night, so clever...:&>