Just thought I'd update on my egg eating chicken problem.
I put a curtain up in the nest box as suggested, the first morning I was up early to make sure the girls knew how to use it
Hetty was pacing around the sleeping area and squatting in the corner so I lifted the curtain to one side and she eventually settled in the nest box. She managed to get out ok and the other 2 girls managed to get in alright too.Paloma has laid a couple of soft shells that she has then gone on to eat and to start with I was stalking them so as soon as one lay I was in there collecting so she didn't get chance to eat them.
We went away for a few days last week so that was the big test of the curtain as my Mum was looking after them so wasn't on hand to collect eggs straight away. She collected 3 eggs most days, Palomas green eggs occasionally had a peck crack in but so far since then operation blackout curtain seems to have worked.
She's leaving all eggs alone and they're perfect the majority of the time, had a thin shelled one on Saturday with a hole in, Im assuming from some over zealous egg manoeuvring (Paloma does tend to arrange all the eggs, fake and real, under herself a lot, I do wonder if she's slightly broody)
So a HUGE thank you for the suggestion, it works!!!!
Emma x
