Help! (Gee, on second reading that sounds like eggs eating chickens. Ha!) Remember the chicken who lays her egg wherever she happens to be? Well, I have been finding wet spots around and I didn't want to think that she was eating her egg, but today Kristine found egg shells next to a wet spot... so it is confirmed, we have at least one egg eating chicken.
[I was just wondering if maybe it is Morgan
pilfering the eggs on the ground?
Oh dear, I hope not!]
I read up on how to combat this problem and found that the first remedy was to kill the chicken. Ouch! The second was to collect the eggs frequently and the third was to darken the nest boxes. So far the egg eating has occurred out of the nest boxes so I think I will try out collecting the eggs every hour or so and see if that helps. Putting fake eggs in the nests was also mentioned so I may try leaving a few wooden eggs laying around.
Hanging burlap over the entrance to the nest boxes was mentioned as a deterrent. I guess if they can't see the egg they won't peck it? OK? Well, I will add wooden eggs and try out the burlap. (have to get some burlap) And I will go out to the coop as often as I can. Lack of good feed was mentioned as a cause, but they have lots of good food and forage, so I think that in this case it was opportunity. It was that goofy hen leaving her egg where they naturally peck around. Phooey!
Here is a fluffy bum chicken! You can compare with the photo in the post below to see the difference. Click on the photos if you want a better look. This is a Dark Brahma. I really need to take the plastic down. Don't think we are going to get any more freak snow falls.
Oh, and by the way, Kristine informs me that the Australorp in the blog heading photo has Hen/Roo in it. She says you can tell by her long tail feathers. And even though her comb is blurry you can see how much bigger it is. Goofy chicken!
There are a few blogs that I check on frequently that are not in my blog list. Two of them are Susie's Big Adventure and Saudi Jeans. Today when I read Susie's blog I found that her blog has been blocked by the Committee for the Protection of Virtue and Prevention of Vice or some other such organization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
She can't get to her blog but she has left a message on her comment page, so if you click comments and scroll down to where you type your comments you can read the little message she left. Sure hope she can get the government to let her post again. It is very dangerous. They put people in jail for blogging things they don't like!
[Today (5/26/09) I see that Susie can post on her blog,
but she can't see it because it is still blocked in Saudi]
I really like reading her blog about her new life in the kingdom as an American wife of a saudi. I hope she can get her blog unblocked. The Saudi Jeans site is written by a young Saudi man who writes carefully about the changes he would like to see in his country. Both blogs give a thoughtful insight into that part of the world.
"Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country
can never be repaid.
They have earned our undying gratitude."
Gen. John A. Logan, May 1868
Smiles
~:>
[10 eggs today]
+ 2 = 12
2 comments:
We have occasionally had that problem, but have attributed it to the fact that we had been feeding egg shells out of the kitchen along with other green scraps. Egg shells are a good source of calcium for them, but don't do it. Do you give them plenty of oyster shell or other calcium supplement?
Drs. Foster and Smith sell little rubber claw covers for cats that become pesky scratchers of furniture and curtains. I suppose you could see whether they sell any that would fit a beak if you REALLY don't want to put your egg eater in the freezer.
Sorry, about the eggs. I would go on the wide web and I am sure you will find a way to prevent it from happening and I will ask around myself. I have not had the problem with my chickens as of yet.
Post a Comment