What to do if a hen lays eggs and eats them herself

Many chicken farmers will find that their hens will peck at the eggs they lay, as if they want to eat them. In fact, during the egg-laying process, hens generally do not eat the eggs they lay. If this happens, there may be a problem with the hen itself, such as: calcium deficiency, indigestion, thirst, uncomfortable environment, etc. This article briefly introduces what to do if the hen eats the eggs she lays.

Many times, we raise chickens just to lay eggs. Raising chickens is a science. Some people raise old hens that just won't lay eggs, while others raise old hens that steal their own eggs every now and then. So what should we do if we encounter a situation where an old hen steals eggs? What should I do if the hen pecks the eggs? What if chickens eat eggs?

Calcium deficiency, calcium supplement for chickens

Under normal circumstances, a hen will not eat the eggs it lays. If an old hen always steals and eats the eggs it lays, developing "pica", it may be caused by the hen's calcium deficiency. Eggshells are rich in calcium, so hens always peck at them. In this case, you should consider giving the chickens some calcium tablets.

Add grit to help grind food

Sometimes chickens eat eggshells not for calcium supplementation. It’s because the owners fed the chickens too well, so that the chickens couldn’t find sand to grind into food in their stomachs. If there is no sand turning in the stomach, the chicken will not be able to digest the food it eats, and out of instinct, the hen will steal the eggs it lays.

Thirsty, give the chicken water

What if chickens eat eggs? Some hens steal their own eggs, but not for the eggshells, but for the egg whites. The owner was careless and did not give the chickens enough water. The chickens were thirsty, but they could not tell the owner that they wanted to drink water, so they could only peck at the eggs and steal the water inside.

The chicken nest is unstable and the eggs are easily broken

Sometimes we find that chickens steal eggs and it is human-caused. The chicken coop was in a bad location. After the hen laid eggs, it was shaken and the eggs broke, with the yolks scattered all over the floor. Chickens have low IQs and might peck at the broken eggs when they see them. We cannot accuse the hens of this. We should either put the eggs away after they lay them, or prepare a soft chicken coop.

A quiet living environment is required. Do not scare the hens. They must lay eggs in a quiet living environment. If the hens are frightened, they may peck the eggs to pieces. Not only that, chickens are very timid animals. Do not scare them during the process of raising chickens, otherwise they may not lay eggs.