When your chickens beginning eating eggs in the coop can be a real problem once it takes root. This is a habit that needs to be controlled with immediate effect as the other chickens may develop the habit. It can be hard for you at this point. In trying to know how to keep chickens from eating their eggs. You will understand a lot of things as a chicken farmer. Since the main reason you are keeping the chickens is primarily for egg production.
So how can you manage this habit? Well, you are in the right place. Dive to understand the real reason why chickens eat their own eggs and what you can do to prevent it. This article also focuses on some behaviors in egg-laying that can be a challenge for you plus your flock.
The Reason for Chickens Eating Their Eggs
Several factors make chickens eat their eggs. Here is a list of the most prominent causes.
Overcrowding
The required space per bird is 4 square feet in the coop when they are not able to free-range. Anything less than those figures, then your birds are overcrowded. However, if your flock can free-range, then the portionof space is not a necessity since they can roam outside.
Shortage of nest boxes
Nest boxes should be enough for your birds, and it is required that four every four chickens, they should be served by one nest box. Chickens eat their own eggs when there is a shortage of nest boxes, which means they will share the few ones available. This will lead to damage od eggs by rolling or treading, which breaks them open, leaving your chickens to enjoy the contents.
Shortage of Water
When chickens become thirsty, they will start breaking their eggs. You should ensure that your chickens have fresh, clean water at all times.
Keeping Your Chickens Hungry
Insufficient feed for your flock will mean they will turn to whatever appeals to them as food, in this case, their own eggs. Protein feed of 16 to 18 percent content should be sufficient to keep your chickens from eating their own eggs and full during the laying season. However, in the case of your birds molting, a higher protein content feed might be required.
Excess Light
Chickens prefer areas that are dark and private so that they can lay their eggs. You can solve this by reducing the light in the coop so that they will be unable to see their eggs, thus preventing them from eating them.
How to Keep Chickens From Eating their Eggs
Provide Ample Space for your flock
We have determined that overcrowding is the most probable cause of chickens eating their eggs. Therefore to fix this, you’ll need a bigger room or reduce our chicken numbers that will provide ample space for your girls.
Keep in mind that for the birds that are confined, you should ensure that the spacing between them is at least 4 square feet between two birds. Preferably, you can get add another coop and then split your flock into two.
Providing Enough Nesting Boxes
Ensure that your flock has enough nesting boxes, preferably 4 for every bird. Small nests for your girls will cause traffic to those nesting boxes, which will likely lead to the eggs produces getting trampled on. In addition to this, ensure that there is plenty of material for your birds to nest.
Place the nesting boxes in dark areas of the coop. This might sound weird, but putting curtains on them will be of big help to you and your girls, try it.
Feeding and Watering Your Chickens
Food and water is the most essential thing your flock needs. Feeding and watering your chickens should be done regularly. Bully birds exist among your flock, so the more timid ones might miss out on food and water. Ensure that you put out different stations so that those timid ones don’t miss out on the fisting.
The feed for the chickens should be well balanced and should have essential nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin D, and phosphorus. You can feed your birds with eggshells that are finely crushed, but before feeding them, ensure that they do not identify them like eggshells.
Clipping Your Chickens’ Beaks
This is probably the most effective way to prevent your girls from being tempted to eat their own eggs. Take caution when clipping your chickens’ beaks because the beak is living tissue, and cutting too far can lead to bleeding and pain for your girls.
Conclusion
Chickens eating their own eggs are simply cannibalism and should be prevented. It is hard to tune the mindset of a hen from this habit, but it is possible. Just follow these steps to keep your chickens from eating their eggs. Keep in mind that for the birds that are confined, you should ensure that the spacing between them is at least 4 square feet between two birds.
Ensure that your flock has enough nesting boxes, preferably 4 for every bird. Small nests for your girls will cause traffic to those nesting boxes, which will likely lead to the eggs produces getting trodden on. Food and water is the most critical thing your flock needs. Feeding and watering your chickens should be done regularly. In addition to this, is probably the most effective way to prevent your girls from being tempted to eat their own eggs.
Be on the lookout for this behavior. For some, it is cute, but they end up changing their minds when there are no eggs left at all. When you have a couple of chicken with this behavior, it had to remedy this situation; however, when you notice this earlier, it will be easy for you to remedy this situation.
Read my other post on DIY chicken coop and Chicken egg colors.
