Eggs contain lots of vitamins, minerals and protein, and unfortunately hens often get addicted to eating them. Fortunately, there are ways to get rid of this undesirable habit!
Hens will eat almost anything they are given and eggs, high in calcium and protein can easily become their favorite. They shouldn’t be allowed to eat them, however, because they can easily get hooked and stop leaving eggs in the coop.
First, make sure that the hens get the protein they need. Their feed should contain about 15% protein and should be supplemented with sunflower or soya meal.
Experts say that a laying hen needs about 30-165 g of combined feed per day; the amount varies depending on the size and breed of bird.
Sometimes hens lay soft-shelled eggs, which in most cases means that they are calcium deficient.
Calcium needs to be supplemented with limestone powder or calcium supplements. To avoid hens eating eggs, the remaining eggshell should be removed from the nest completely.
There is another way to prevent hens from eating the eggs. Experts say that it’s important to separate clucking hens, protect their nests from bright light and line them well with straw to prevent eggs from breaking.
The nests can also be constructed so that the eggs fall into a special net from which they can be easily collected at the end of the day and which can prevent the hens from eating the eggs.
Last but not least, make sure that the eggs are collected regularly and are not left in the nest for more than a day.
If the hens are used to eating eggs, you can ‘trick’ them with plastic eggs, which they will try to crack but will give up after a while. This ‘mock-egg’ can also be smeared with mustard, because hens don’t like the taste of mustard and will give up eating eggs faster.