I think it’s time to start posting some of the great questions I get from readers, because they think I might know a thing or two about chickens. I want to give all the other Chicken Doctors out there a chance to chime in their opinions.
Let’s start off with this delightful letter from Shorty in MN.
Dear Chicken Doctor,
I have six laying hens…..and they are cannibals! Yes, cannibals. They eat their young. At first I thought it was only one or two of the hens, but I’ve discovered that they all partake in the egg eating parties. I’ve put golf balls with hot sauce in the nesting boxes — that worked for a day. I have ceramic eggs in there too. Doesn’t help. I do have one hen that is “settin’” on a golf ball. Poor thing. Maybe she figures if she can’t eat it, she may as well hatch it??So, any advice? How do I stop this cannibalism? Is it even possible? Do I need to roast these birds and start over? (I can hardly bear the thought of buying eggs again).Sincerely,Short on Eggs in MN
To make you feel better I did have a broody hen that was a mess, she sat on a bunch of eggs, ate half of them and the others went rotten. She was disgusting. She finally got past her broodiness, but not before she gave my dog, Preacher, a swift kick in the pants. Never thought I’d live to see the day a hen attacking a dog.
I hope this helps a tad bit. Stick to your guns, hope those darn chickens sort out their troubles.
Take Care,
April
Okay, smart readers, what would you do for your egg eating chickens?
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I would have a nice dish of scrambled eggs, then maybe some chicken and dumplings for dinner.
I am moving to the country in a year and plan to have some laying hens. How many do I buy to have enough eggs for 3 people? Where do I start and what do I do?
I could do a lot of research on the how to’s, but would much rather go to a world renowned expert like you!
Four to six hens would be plenty. You can look on Craigslist.com to see if any local farmers are selling some of their layers or you can start with baby chicks. You can’t order less than 15-25 from the mail order hatcheries, so you’ll need to find a feed and farm supply store that sells chicks. They usually start showing up in the stores in February. It will take approx 6 months before you get your first egg. Go for good layers, any of the Reds, Black Sex Link, Orpingtons are all excellent layers.
If they’re eating eggs (which is not actually cannibalism– that is when they eat each other), it usually means they need more protein. Meat scraps, scrambled eggs (I just can’t get past the idea of feeding eggs to my chickens so they’ll lay me eggs…) or letting them roam the yard to find bugs and critters all will help them stop eating eggs.
OR there’s always what my husband does– he picks up… um… uh… I almost can’t say it… roadkill (or he shoots a coon or whatever other varmint happens to be around) and puts pieces of it in buckets filled with straw. The buckets have holes drilled all over the sides and bottoms and are hung from tripods. When the flies get interested, they lay their eggs in the meat inside the bucket (it doesn’t stink if you only use a smallish piece of meat and surround it well with straw or leaves). The eggs hatch, grow, and in a matter of hours, they drop out the holes in the bottom of the bucket. The chickens quickly learn where to go for a yummy snack. I know it’s gross, but it’s really quite ingenious– free, high-quality chicken feed from thin air AND fly control.
I’ve never seen an egg sucking chicken reformed. If one starts it, the others learn and they never forget. Eliminate the current batch of hens and start with new ones. Keep plenty of oyster shells available so hens don’t have weak-shelled eggs and learn they can break. Some breeds of hens are just better egg producers than others. I’d recommend Anconas. They’re old-fashioned layers that are very self-sufficient and won’t spend an extra minute on the nest. Just in general, there are times of the year (like when they’re molting) that chickens need a little more protein. I throw them a handful of dry cat food during these times. Keeps them from pecking each other’s pin feathers. Sometimes the hens will almost strip a rooster naked pecking at his neck feathers.
Well just fry them up some bacon to go with those eggs.
In response to Jen Blawat– I have seen my chickens go through a period of egg eating, but they always stop once I make sure they get more protein. Chickens need a lot!
Hey fellow chicken people. Just found this sight.
Don’t despair about egg eating chickens or over react. Do 3 things. Make sure your nests are high enough off the ground that the chickens can’t stand on the ground and reach right in.
Make their perch in front of the nest just large enough for them to use it as a staging area for going into the nest. They should not be able to lounge there comfortably.
The most important thing now is to darken the nest area. Hang a flap of material over the nest opening with just enough space at the bottom so they can peak in and verify that this is still their nest. What they can’t see they won’t eat. Works great. Plus they seem to like the privacy.
Joanne Griffin.
I’m new to chickens, but I had trouble with my pullets eating the soft-shelled eggs that they laid at first, so I read up on all this stuff.
In addition to all the suggestions so far, I would add a few more. You know what they say on the crime dramas: means, motive, and opportunity.
Means: Construct a roll-away nest. This is a nest where the bottom slants down and outside. When the hen lays her egg, it rolls down the slant and out into the collection area, where the hens can’t reach it.
Motive: Along with extra protein and a bale of hay for entertainment/nutrition, be sure you’re feeding a high-quality food to begin with.
Opportunity: If you can’t (or don’t want to) build a roll-away nest, at least collect the eggs more often.
Hot sauce won’t work, by the way – birds can’t taste chili peppers.
I’d ring their ever-lovin’ necks, throw ‘em in a pot, make some chicken and rice and call it a day.
Chickens eating their eggs… that’s crazy.
Wow! This is something I’m going to have to deal with? Man, oh man, do I still even want chickens?
Damn, and I thought chickens only resorted to eating their young when they were stranded on a mountain after a plane crash in the snow…
Looking to get chicks in the spring & this is such a great idea! Learning a lot…can’t wait for more questions
By the way
DIDI YOU GET CUT????????
Excellent ideas, Chicken Doctors!
I like the darkened nest suggestion, or the roll-away-egger one, too! Of course, more protein is the first thing you should try. Meat or bugs… or… maybe it’s as easy as re-examining what kinda feed you give them? I use a protein rich layer crumble mixed with scratch grain.
If you have problems with your chooks attacking EACHOTHER…. I suggest hanging a cabbage in their run or giving them a whole melon (or pumpkin) to chip away at. They’ll go crazy over it, get out some good aggression, and be entertained for hours and hours instead of peckin’ at one another.
Good luck, Shorty.
My mom used to keep the shells of eggs she used, and put those in the chicken pen, but she ALWAYS baked them first. She said the chickens would eat the shells, which made the shells of the eggs they layed harder and provide protein, but if you didn’t bake them, the chickens would peck and eat the eggs they layed. Just wondering if perhaps you throw scraps in the chicken yard and maybe they’ve gotten some egg shells???
Love, love, love the picture. You look just like what a Chicken Doctor – or an angel – should look like!
Mini garbage eating rototillers! Love it! (And so true!)
Wow, my fav answer is ‘roadkill-on-a-rope’ Now THAT is good old fashioned American ingenuity. I once had a rooster who had been canibalized by the the others. I didn’t notice it until he had become a walking maggot machine, which just made him all the more attractive to the hens…..He was a feast to their eyes!
Hey April,
I send you an private e-mail, I need some serious help! Let me know what you think I should do!
Enid
I’m told I had some sort of great uncle who was a chicken expert. He got a PhD in chickens and made lots of money doing chicken consulting. That was a bit hard for me to swallow when I heard it, but there’s clearly a market. I wonder if I’ll ever have chickens. My husband wants to live in the middle of nowhere and be away from people, but his dream job is only found in huge cities.
I sure hope you’re gettin’ big bucks for all this advice, Chicken Doctor.
I’m happy to report that our hens have stopped eating their eggs!! All it took was some leftover steak a few nights — they haven’t had eggs for dinner since then!
April, you are a genius — and a true chicken doctor!
Now, about washing those eggs…. I’m afraid I’ll get salmonella if we don’t wash them.
–Shorty
Unless there’s chicken poop on the eggs, I’ve never washed mine. They stay fresher longer if you don’t wash them.
As for chickens eating eggs, I give mine oyster shells occasionally to make sure they’re getting enough calcium.
I’ve also had good luck breaking broody hens by slipping a ziploc bag full of ice under them when they’re nesting. You may have to repeat this several times a day for a few days, but it works! Their body tempurature rises when they’re broody, so cooling them down reverses it.
Make sure when you give the chickens scraps, that you don’t have egg shells in there, that teaches them to eat their own eggs.
I believe this is when the .410 comes out and the herd starts from scratch.
Dear Chicken Docktor,
To the age old problem of misbehaving hens . . .
1. Give ALL old egg shells to them in your “kitchen waste”
2. Collect the eggs early
3. Feed more
4. Give oyster shells in feed
5. Allow ranging on grass or other fenced areas of property.
Chickens, in my opinion, are nasty little creatures parading around looking cute and making adorable noises. They can be horrible to each other and devastating to their eggs.
There, I have said my peace. Good Luck.
Lawdy Mercy. This is chicken drama.
We always put all garbage scrapes out for the chickens including egg shells. It helps to make their egg shells stronger. We also give them oyster shells. If they need more protein, give them sunflower seeds. They love it. This fall I pitched all my left over pumpkins over the fence and they pecked them out until the cows discovered they liked them too and ate them up.
One of our city backyard hens “occasionally” has smears of blood on her eggs…Jan.’10. She started laying autumn of ’09. Any ideas?
TIA~Michelle
Have a new question. When can I start feeding scratch? I have always waited till full grown. Not sure when that gizzard can handle it.
i have alot of flies in my chicken house what is a good repellant? iput down pine bark and that helps a little.
i was hit with a golf ball on the head and it was quite painfull.,~
We have an older Bantie Cochin hen named Reba. We really don’t know how old she is, but we noticed her limping yesterday, and today saw blood on her foot. The feathers on her legs/feet are extremely long, as well as her toe nails being quite long. Needless to say, Reba is a slow walker. Can you clip a hen’s toe nails? If so, how do you tell where the quick (sp) is? Would it harm her to cut her feathers on her legs by her feet? Thanks for your help.
I have 5 silkie hens which I raised from day old chicks. They are almost 6 months old and have already been laying for a month. One of my silkie hens has been having symptoms which appears to be wry neck. She had issues a few months ago and I started giving her Nutri-Drench which is a vitamin supplement. Her symptoms virtually went away, although she continued to tilt her head slightly to one side. In the past week her symptoms have returned and turns her head upside down. She seems to continue to eat and drink. Is there a cure for wry neck or will she eventually die from these symptoms?
Thanks, Joe
Hi unfortunately there is no cure for wry neck, you will need to kill the chicken, also it can be hereditary so don’t breed from any brothers or sisters.
Sry for the bad news
hello i have a biddie that cant open his eyes and cant stand up hardly is there anything i can do to help him or will he just pass away?
Well the bidie died and we got home today and another one had died. That makes 3 bidies that has died on us from unusual reasons. Do you know what is happening to them?