Hens destroying eggs
Forum: Egg Destroying by hens
My hens lay eggs and then eat them. What could be the cause of this behaviour?
Sir,
The reasons could be:
Poor/Late egg quality collection
Damaged/cracked eggs may be left in the Nest
These two reasons will encourage hens to eat eggs. If you have any other idea please share it.
Regards,
Neethiraja A
Optimal in-feed amino acid ratio for laying hens based on deletion method
Dear sir,
You should collect eggs 4 times a day
Make the nest in slope shaped so that egg should be slipped down and can not be seen by hens.
Put "tennis balls" in nests. It will decrease their habit of breaking eggs.
Also use/hang green fodder in shed.
Dr.Jahan Zeb Ansari
It is much easier to prevent egg eating than to cure the habit once it has developed. It is usually initiated by accidental egg breakage, but birds will then learn to break eggs themselves.
Egg eating occurs primarily in flocks that are raised in deep litter (i.e., not in cages).
Egg eating problem can result when
• The hens are overcrowded,
• When light intensity is too bright,
• When there are inadequate nests,
• When the nests are not constructed properly.
The tendency to eat eggs could be aggravated by either a deficiency of calcium : phosphorus or vitamin D in the ration.
Such deficiencies also contribute indirectly to egg eating by causing poor shell quality and broken eggs.
If the flock is receiving a commercial layer ration, such deficiencies are rare.
Following Control Measures could help:
1. Gather eggs more frequently. Once a day is not enough -- three times or more is better.
2. Be sure plenty of nests are provided. Allow one regular type nest for each four layers.
3. Darken nests - Dark nests reduce egg breakage and egg eating as well as the numbers of dirty eggs produced.
4. Feeding of liquid milk for a few days often reduces egg eating.
5. Replace eggs with artificial wooden or plastic eggs (Ping-Pong ball), a few unsuccessful pecks at them and they will often times lose interest.
6. Hang heavy material in the nest fronts, leaving only 2-3" of space underneath, the hens will crawl under to lay but usually they don't crawl under to eat.
7. Often it is only a few hens, which are doing most of the egg eating. However, it is difficult to break birds of the habit and it is best to cull those that begin eating eggs
How to find the culprit?
Observe your hens and try to identify such hens.
The presence of egg yolk on the beak often helps in identifying them.
avoid floor egg by providing adquate nest boxes in the fowl runs. make sure the feed has enough calcium and phosphorus balance. Stressing factors like overcrowding should be avoided.
A lot has been written. I will add up one important factor that if litter is not managed properly, there is build up of toe ball on birds nails. If not removed toe balls continue to grow in size & hardens by the passage of time. When the hen with toe balls enters the nest, where there are already egg, toe ball will act as hammer on Egg & will break the egg, to which it is striking. In addition to valuable tips given already, please keep check for toe balls when layer is kept on floor.
Layer birds have different calcium, Phosphorus requirements at different ages. Usually at the start of lay bit higher phosphorus is required in comparison to old age. It is otherwise with Calcium. Calcium requirement increases by the advancement of age. Vit D3 plays very important role in absorption from gut & metabolism of Calcium & Phosphorus in bones & Egg shell buid up. Feed should be formulated for requirement of Calcium & Phosphorus as per layer guide of every breed to keep the egg shell strong.
Dr. Maqsood Jaffery
United States
