Anyone keep hens?

This discussion is interesting and ?

I've been reading it out of curiosity - my niece has rescue hens and feeds them kitchen scraps and crushed eggshell and so far all is well. The eggs are good!

My grandfather "farmed" with chickens on a small scale when we were children. The Sunday roast chicken was the highlight of the week (I can honestly still picture and remember those Sunday meals) and so was accompanying my grandad to select the chicken!

Update: The Culprit is still isolated, which she's not happy about. She produced a mini egg a couple of days ago, which she didn't savage.

As the four of them are easing off laying, I thought I'd put them back together. I've established The Culprit lays her eggs early morning, so now know when to get in to her.

So for the moment, all's well in 'Heningrad' (some may call it Cluckingham Palace).....

Out of curiosity I watched the video. Brilliant. There was another which gave the measurements, but I really liked the paint tray idea. Very logical.

I hope you don't have to 'cull' her, bohemian.
As I said, it's probably just a habit, and she needs some big change in routine to break the habit.
She sounds to be a very useful hen, they don't always lay as well as that.

DD cannot eat hers even though she does eat some chicken.

Coq au vin?[roast chicken]. I agree Jalima...but will try to find an easier way out first (I'm a veggie but accept others are happy to eat chicken). Luckily a friend with a smallholding has offered to take her if the cannibalism doesn't stop. She has a large field of hens where my hen could go and stay (segregated) a bit like a Hen Holiday camp. My grandchildren named the hens after themselves and the names have stuck, but for no sentimental reason :-)

I agree boheminan! Anyway, if you let them roam around for at least part of the day as DD's do, they could be eating anything.

coq au vin? (don't give them names!)

I tried the isolation idea and hey presto The Culprit was the first bird I tried, she's eating her own eggs. I now know who it is ('Mollyhen'). Where to go from here? Not enough space to permanently isolate her and culling would be a last resort. Will now try the blacking out nesting box - have already tried the golf balls to no avail.

Not sure how DEFRA rules apply Jalima, I really can't see how feeding backyard hens peelings can do great harm - we've survived eating eggs for centuries without all dying from Salmonella - I blame Edwina Curry!

I've found another idea -
You can buy or make roll-away nesting boxes. Then hen lays an egg, it rolls down below the base of the box and the hen can't get it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBFnOy-q63c

No eggs, no meat or fish, just veggie and fruit peelings, cores etc seems to be the rule which they apply.
If you keep your own hens and the eggs are for your own consumption are there rules about feeding them scraps? One of the joys is seeing them peck away at fruit and veg, they love it.

Interesting Jalima about the egg shells - why's that? I think it's supposed to be against DEFRA rules to give kitchen waste! another Elfin Safety measure gone mad....

I think that feeding them egg shells gives them a taste for them then they could start eating the eggs. That's what DD told me, they keep hens which get fed kitchen scraps but DEFRA rules don't apply there. The eggs are only for their own consumption.

Agree with getting some mixed grit and oyster shells. Never feed kitchen scraps (its illegal anyway) It may be worth borrowing/buying a sensor triggered camera to check what else may be visiting the coop as it may not be a hen eating the eggs..

Egg eating is sometimes discouraged by making the nesting boxes darker. We used to make a strip 'curtain' from bin liners and staple across the front of the nesting boxes. You could also try leaving some ceramic eggs or golf balls in the nesting boxes after you collect eggs.

The bottom line is if this continues you may have to cull the culprit. We found our culprit was my favourite hen, a French Wheaten Maran. Luckily we could isolate her within sight of the main flock and she was quite happy with that. Never ate her own egg (very hard shell) so problem resolved.

Also make sure you have plenty for them to do. Outdoor perches, a covered dustbath etc. If you grow your own veg try tying up a cabbage or brassica stalk slightly out of reach so they have to work to get the leaves.

Feel free to pm me for any further specific help.

We use a website called down our backyard or something like that for chicken info. Sorry I can't remember the full name and am currently on a different tablet so not stored in this one.

Can't increase their area because they'd be in with the parsnips and lettuce, which they'd love but I wouldn't be happy about! The idea of isolating one hen at a time sounds a good idea, at least then I can identify the offhender. Interesting Jalima about the egg shells - why's that? I think it's supposed to be against DEFRA rules to give kitchen waste! another Elfin Safety measure gone mad....

Give them some grit.
If hens are fed kitchen fruit and veg scraps never give them eggshells.

I've had a look on a forum which I used to use fir advice.
They suggest temp. separating one of your hens and confining her elsewhere.
If the breakages continue, it's one of the others. etc.

Eggshells must be washed and baked before crushing to remove temptation. Free range hens usually get enough grit from the ground they scratch up. Can you increase their area?

Up until a few weeks ago I gave The Girls grit but then forgot to get some more when it was used up (unfortunately the egg eating was happening at that time). I wish I lived nearer the sea...but I've heard some folk grind up egg shells instead of grit, would that work? surely it'd give the hen a taste for egg shells. Don't think the garden's big enough to take in a cockerel too.

I’d go with the poultry grit. In my youff we kept hens and would collect, wash and crush sea shells for them, ready salted eggs!

If it is one of the hens it could be an established habit. In which case you need something to interfere with the habit.
Another idea would be to get a cockerel, we always had about one cockerel to 4 hens.

Try putting a small dish of poultry grit close to where you feed them. They may be craving calcium.

Thanks for your helpful responses. Removing the eggs has proved none too easy as they lay up until mid afternoon and I can't be on squawk-alert all day. The nesting boxes are fixed - though the idea of moving them is worth a try, as is covering them for a while. The boxes are enclosed in a shed, so I don't think other birds can get to them - but a determined rat could - would rats do that it daylight? . They're fed layers pellets, with green stuff from the garden, so I think protein levels are okay. There's been a couple of shell-less eggs, but that's now stopped and the shells seem quite thick. Three out of four are laying with one egg being eaten. No signs of egg on the beaks...This all sounds like a mystery plot but it's no yolk

What do you feed them? Are the egg shells good and thick or getting a bit weak? If you’re just feeding corn and letting them peck around, they may need layers pellets to up their protein and calcium levels if they’re still laying well.

I’m not sure what the answer is but it might be worth upping their protein e.g. mealworms, or a treat now and again of cat/dog food?

We had chickens for several years, not now. We had that problem a few times but I can't remember what we did about it.
The only advice I can give is to remove the egg as soon as it's laid. They usually lay in the morning and do a lot of squawking afterwards.
Another idea would be to move their nesting boxes around a bit, if that's possible, might break the habit. Or cover the nesting box temporarily then they have to find somewhere else to lay. Keep an eye on them.
There are other creatures which peck at eggs eg magpies, rats, etc. So unless you actually see yolk on the hen's beak you can't be sure.