Can anyone help me with what i can do to stop a Breeding Hen to stop eating the eggs she is laying.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Wayne

Stop her breeding............give her six months ...try again. If she has this behaviour fully ingrained and does it again in six months time........cull.

Thanks for the feedback

 

 

Stop her breeding............give her six months ...try again. If she has this behaviour fully ingrained and does it again in six months time........cull.

Marbles. Worked for me with a cock who used to play soccer with eggs. He had destroyed an entire round of eggs the first time by kicking them until they broke - all budgies eat broken eggs so of course the hen and cock would eat the eggs. Last season I replaced each egg of the second round with a white marble (or as close to white as possible, dont think it actually matters) as soon as it was laid. He played soccer with the first 3 marbles. When the fourth egg was laid he stopped going in the nest box. When the fifth egg was laid and he still wasnt going in, I returned the eggs and took back the marbles. The hen went on to lay 11 eggs (9 hatched, half were fostered to be raised by another pair).

 

This year he has been re-paired with that same hen - she has laid 3 eggs so far and he hasnt touched a single one. Hasnt scratched around in the nest box like he used to either.

 

Worth a try. The marbles teach them that 'eggs' cannot be played with, eaten or broken - from my experience they learn to ignore the eggs except for sitting on them.

Edited August 10, 201014 yr by Dean_NZ

Marbles. Worked for me with a cock who used to play soccer with eggs. He had destroyed an entire round of eggs the first time by kicking them until they broke - all budgies eat broken eggs so of course the hen and cock would eat the eggs. Last season I replaced each egg of the second round with a white marble (or as close to white as possible, dont think it actually matters) as soon as it was laid. He played soccer with the first 3 marbles. When the fourth egg was laid he stopped going in the nest box. When the fifth egg was laid and he still wasnt going in, I returned the eggs and took back the marbles. The hen went on to lay 11 eggs (9 hatched, half were fostered to be raised by another pair).

 

This year he has been re-paired with that same hen - she has laid 3 eggs so far and he hasnt touched a single one. Hasnt scratched around in the nest box like he used to either.

 

Worth a try. The marbles teach them that 'eggs' cannot be played with, eaten or broken - from my experience they learn to ignore the eggs except for sitting on them.

 

 

Good info Dean,

Make sure you have a good calcium source for that hen, The hen looses about a third of calcium from he body to produce the egg, if she has nothing to replace this she may eat the egg upon laying , Keep an open mind and try different things before you decide to cull her , especially if she is a good hen.

I had a hen here that was eating the eggs or smashing them, first i took them off her once I relised but then I decided to put false eggs in and left he eggs there as she laid and she was right, marbles work the same. I guess she has a go at them and of course they don't break then she gives up and continues laying.

Another method is to put eggs under another hen or cut out a hole in the concave if you have concaves and they egg will fall through onto a soft layer of wood shavings or something soft but then you still need foster parents.

 

I would try the marble or false egg and calcium.

Could it be inexperience? Is it first time Mum, I had one who kicked eggs all over the place first season, only hatched 3 out of 9.

Next session she laid sat and reared chicks like a pro. Just a thought.

Edited August 14, 201014 yr by robyn