[pierre]

Hi all .... now I know it's difficult .... but can any-one offer advice ....
 
I've isolated the hen that is eating some of my eggs ..... how do I stopp her, what is the best method you have tried .... or do I just wring her neck .....
 
Cheers
 
Pete

[Tala Orchard]

Hi one thing we tried was to get an egg and 'blow' it ie small hole top and bottom we then with a syringe filled it with a mustard paste the hen tried it once or twice and gave up we did this every other day over a week, when she went back with the rest she had stopped eating eggs. Not saying it will work every time and will depend upon if you feel the hen is worth the effort.

Tala

[Beewyched]

Hi Pete,
Great that you've seperated her     - otherwise she'll teach the others to do it keep her away from them for at least a week after you get her to stop.
Some folks use the rubber/porcelain eggs (so she can't eat it) but that's only any good if you've got time to watch for when she lays & retrieve it staight away.
The trick we've used is to blow eggs & full them with mustard  - soon gets them to stop 
Let us know how you get on 
 

[Beewyched]

Oops - sorry Tala    cross-posted

[Tala Orchard]

  No probs Beewyched

[northfifeduckling]

Mustard and very hot chilli paste eggs did the trick here. Should the issue come up again  I will also look into filling hollow eggs with plaster of paris or cement, although it might be easier to buy pot eggs.
Last year I was told to put my girls down as it had gone out of hand but I am glad that I did not do it, as over the winter they seemed to have forgotten that they can eat their eggs, fingers crossed. It seems to have started with a broken egg, after that the way to pecking at intact ones was short. Make sure that they have plenty of grit to eat and I also use cardboard to line the nesting boxes - softer padding of the floor and evidence of moist areas can easier be seen.
Good luck! 

[goosepimple]

Yukky hot things might give her a skitty bum. 
 
Are you feeding her cardboard (pellets)?  Try changing your food to something yummier like pure corn or mixed grain, add some black sunflower seeds to it or a bit of porridge oats, or an odd treat now and then of cous-cous with a knob of butter mixed in, spice up her life not her backside  .  She's only looking for something that tastes of something other than what she gets every day.  Give it a week and they usually forget about it. 
 
Or start making wringing motions with your hands, she'll get the message.

[northfifeduckling]

Yukky hot things might give her a skitty bum. 
 

Mine did not eat enough of them to get a skitty bum, only enough to show them that this was not what they had expected 

[goosepimple]

   heavy handed with the poultry spice you say 

[pierre]

Are you feeding her cardboard (pellets)?  Try changing your food to something yummier like pure corn or mixed grain, add some black sunflower seeds to it or a bit of porridge oats, or an odd treat now and then of cous-cous with a knob of butter mixed in, spice up her life not her backside     
 

Hi goose .... they get feed on a mix of 2 parts layers pellets and 1 part mixed grain ..... plus all the house-hold scraps .....
 
So, they have a varied diet ... not to mention .... nearly 1/2 an acre to roam in ....
 
Cheers
 
Pete

[in the hills]

 


Lemons !!!! ...... worked for us. They stay fresh for ages and when you return her to the flock you can pop a few in the nest boxes for a while ..... as a reminder.


If you've now isolated her ..... good in that she won't teach others the same trick but she may get quite bored if she is now confined and was used to free ranging and so even more inclined to peck her eggs. I suppose all you can do is make sure you look as often as possible and remove her egg as quickly as possible.


Oh .... are your nest boxes dark??? Think it helps if it's dark in there.


 

[northfifeduckling]

pellets are very high in protein (I give half/half grain - check your bag though for weight a day pellets per bird, it's not good to give to many pellets), some folks say that lack of protein causes them to eat eggs. I think that might be the case for non-free range birds but not for ours that eat everything out there. I add a teaspoon of lime flour once a month to their feed, it seems to help especially the ducks that lay thinner shells.
Regarding poultry  spice, I found it very intersting that my brand contains powdered Tumeric! I may just add a bit of that and garlic powder (some folks recommend but I don't remember what for) to their feed as we have both in the kitchen anyway  . Will my eggs and cakes taste of garlic after, I wonder?

[northfifeduckling]

Lemons !!!! ...... worked for us. They stay fresh for ages and when you return her to the flock you can pop a few in the nest boxes for a while ..... as a reminder.


If you've now isolated her ..... good in that she won't teach others the same trick but she may get quite bored if she is now confined and was used to free ranging and so even more inclined to peck her eggs. I suppose all you can do is make sure you look as often as possible and remove her egg as quickly as possible.


Oh .... are your nest boxes dark??? Think it helps if it's dark in there.


 

That is simply superb, would never have occurred to me to try lemons! Yes, I did put curtains up to screen off the nesting boxes from the rest of the house. That probably helped, too. 

[JMB]

I think garlic is supposed to get rid of some worms.
It's recommended for sheep anyway.
Maybe I'm getting mixed up
J xxxxxx

[goosepimple]

Yes Lemons!  Liked that, I'll remember that one, thanks!