Hi all, I have mentioned earlier I had a nice grey pied cock. I paired him last season but he broke/ate eggs.

I had only bought him a short while before pairing him up, so with the sale (at bird show) then new aviary, hen etc. and pairing him up quickly. Thought maybe he could be stressed about the whole thing.

 

My query is does anyone think it is worth trying him again? OR IS IT: ONCE AN EGG DESTROYER ALWAYS AN EGG DESTROYER?

Or can they be okay next round or season and worth a try?

This is picture of him.

 

 

 

I would try him again, you could try 2 things if he does destroy the eggs.

Most times when cocks destroy eggs is because they keep going in the nest box and trampling the eggs and breaking them.

 

the first thing you could do is just let him in with the hen for a few hours a day and take him out for the majority and once the hen has laid around 5 eggs take him away and let the hen raise them but then you may need foster parents handy to help .

 

second you can replace the eggs with false eggs or marbles and most times once they work out they can't break them they will leave them be.

 

thirdly you can foster the eggs once laid , that's if you have foster parents.

 

these are things I do.

Good luck with him Robyn but I would give him a second chance.

always worth another try and its really up to you how much you want something from a bird i say

i was told by a great bird man to try cool mints in the nest turns out it worked a treat hen stopped eating any eggs i also put marbles in but she just pushed them out nest the coolmints worked

go figger

lol I was thinking of you GB when I was writing my bit above about your cool mints and the chilli in the egg.

Thanks Splat & G.b I really wanted this fellow, more for new blood in my aviary, he's a big long bird, so when I gear up again I think I'll give him a go. Thanks again for the advice.

I have found that when a bird is not in breeding condition hen or cock they will destroy the nest and sometime not until they are about to hatch. So annoying.

 

But yes he is lovely boy, I had a boy the same I bought from auction and he was a young unused cock but he never filled an egg , very disappointing.

lol I was thinking of you GB when I was writing my bit above about your cool mints and the chilli in the egg.

well it really works splat you just need time to grab that layed eggs out and replace then soon as you see three untouched bodgies remove one replace with real egg if it stays then every day remove bodgie replace with real ;0

and so on that way it all works out good

also thought oif useing him over two hens a base hen and a hen whom u can let lay and rase alone ?? just the once of course

 

and i agree splat about unready hens in cocks

I nearly tried the chili in eggs Gb but just ended up doing the false eggs in the end and it does work but that mum of the sky blue I won the shield with and best in show she smashed the eggs and that is why I only got him, I grabbed his egg out and fostered it.

Next year I will grab the lot out as she lays them because they through such crackers I am not going to chance it.

Can't wait actually. lol