Egg eater needs new home!

Ellesgirl · Post by **Ellesgirl** » 20 Aug 2012, 10:22

Hi all,
I am new to this forum although have browsed it many times when needing a bit of advice!
I have 5 ex batts (although I am only supposed to have 4!) they are all lovely ladies, however one of them is eating her eggs and I can't get her to stop, so after nearly 6 months of trying I have decided to rehome her. I think maybe she would stop if she had a completely free range lifestyle, rather than a large coop and an occasional run in the garden!
I am in Chelmsford, so if anyone can help i would be grateful.

MissEllie · Post by **MissEllie** » 20 Aug 2012, 10:38

Welcome to the lane ellesgirl. )wav(

I'm too far away to help I'm afraid but just wondered if you'd tried things like putting mustard in a blown egg or rubber eggs in the nest box? Sorry if you have thought of these, just thinking you must be sad having to rehome your girl.
Also I think you can buy roll away nest boxes so they can't get at them but don't have a link to one sorry

Post by **wendy** » 20 Aug 2012, 11:18

Hiya

If it is only her own eggs, then I personally wouldn't worry to much. More of a worry if it was all of them

. But then eggs aren't that important to me, more saving these little battered ones is. Very often it is a habit and she will continue.
I found with the only one I have ever had, that putting mustard and even tabasco sauce in a blown egg didn't work at all.

But by making the nest box higher did. My nest box they could walk into. I got a plastic, stackable box and they had to jump up and into to lay. She never ate another egg after that.

Maggie1 · Post by **Maggie1** » 20 Aug 2012, 13:44

Ellesgirl wrote:Hi all,
I am new to this forum although have browsed it many times when needing a bit of advice!
I have 5 ex batts (although I am only supposed to have 4!) they are all lovely ladies, however one of them is eating her eggs and I can't get her to stop, so after nearly 6 months of trying I have decided to rehome her. I think maybe she would stop if she had a completely free range lifestyle, rather than a large coop and an occasional run in the garden!
I am in Chelmsford, so if anyone can help i would be grateful.

Hello Ellesgirl and welcome
I had a egg eating problem about a year ago. I tried everything mustard,chilli powder even a roll away but they started laying the opposite end to the roll away. I had one start eating and literally in a couple of weeks they were all at it. As I keep chickens for eggs I got rid, but I'm sure somebody will be happy to take them off of you. Good luck.

Ellesgirl · Post by **Ellesgirl** » 20 Aug 2012, 19:29

Thanks for your advice. I had an egg eater before with my last batch of ex batts, and rehomed her. I had tried everything i found (although the blown up rubber glove is a new one on me!) mustard etc, the roll away nest is a great idea, but I am low on funds to buy one and my attempt at creating my own was a disaster! :-D

I want to try to sell some eggs to make the hens basically pay for themselves, but the girl who eats them (only her own) has created a frenzy when she breaks them and they all go for it eating the egg, this means that any other eggs which are in the vicinity get covered in sticky egg and then get straw and anything else that happens to be in the nest box on them! Not the most hygenic eggs to sell

And I was also naughty when I picked up my hens, as I was only supposed to have 2 to bring my little flock back up to 4, but some weren't collected so I took an extra one. I only have permission to have 4 {cry}

If I were allowed and I had the space I'd have more!