What does it mean when chickens peck their eggs? Why do chickens peck eggs and what to do? What are glasses and ring

Homemade eggs are valued higher than store-bought eggs for their more environmentally friendly and healthy product. The visual difference between such products is usually determined by the color of the yolk. In a homemade egg it is clearly expressed and has a rich orange color, but the store-bought egg is pale in color and, importantly, has a big difference in taste. Poultry is bred specifically to produce tasty products, but sometimes there are unpleasant surprises during egg collection. Having suddenly discovered a pecked egg, you need to find the cause of this disgrace.

Reasons for birds pecking at your own product

Previously, peasants explained such a sign as spoilage of eggs by saying that the bird was offended by the owner for poor care and feeding and now repays the same. One of the reasons may also be the limited size of the paddock and the lack of vegetation on it.

Insufficient amount of calcium in the individual’s body. This may be at least the main reason, so you should take care of adding such an important component to your diet. When examined, the shell itself will be thin and fragile, and this additionally indicates a lack of calcium.
Poor, poor quality or often spoiled food. A large amount of pre-prepared mash is not quickly fed to the farm and often leads to souring of the products. Wet grain, accordingly, also has the ability to deteriorate. Further use of the missing food is unacceptable for feeding to individuals.

If by chance it happens that the egg breaks, then the bird, being an omnivorous creature, will immediately begin to examine it with curiosity and try to eat it. If you like the taste of the product, it will definitely serve as a basis for further actions, such as searching for something delicious and eating it; besides, it will serve as an example for others.

The nests are located at a very close distance from each other. In a crowd, a laying hen could simply accidentally step on her own or a neighbor’s egg, but, as a rule, such cases are rare.

The harmful nature of the bird can also cause aggressive behavior towards the clutch and other individuals. Due to its harmfulness, it will specifically crush the eggs rather than from a lack of something in the body.

Important! Some of the breeds are too aggressive and the only solution to this will be de-beaking, that is, trimming with nippers or a special tool.

Decaying of birds. File for download

Decaying birds

Many housewives, without knowing it, themselves provoke her to pecking at their products. First, the shells are collected and then given along with food and food waste, and the bird quickly gets used to the taste and smell of food and, without its presence, will look for a familiar food option on its own. You can give it, but first you should wash the shells and dry them, thereby ridding them of the characteristic odor, and only then grind them and mix them into food.

Calculation problem

It is difficult to identify the pest, but with some observation it is possible. Her constant or frequent presence in the chicken coop near the nests will give her away; she will be there waiting for a treat. You should place her separately from the others and try to wean her off for about two weeks, using several methods. It is especially worth applying such measures if it produced a lot of products, then it is not worth immediately solving the problem by destroying it. If such individuals cannot eventually correct themselves and return to their old ways, then they will quickly go straight to meat, otherwise others will behave in the same way. As a rule, a bad example is contagious.

Methods for solving the problem

A decoy in the form of medium-sized plastic balls. They are placed in the laying areas, but at the same time they are intensively fed with minerals, calcium and other useful foods.
Imitation of a dough product. Dissolve a lot of salt in warm water and mix the salted water with flour to a stiff consistency. Next, we create an image of a parsley product from the dough and dry it thoroughly. As a result, we get a dry, hard oval that tastes very unpleasant and we put our creation in the nest. A useless attempt to try a treat will become impossible and thus interest in this activity will disappear.
Make a dummy, but here you will have to be careful and spend some time making it. Make a hole in the natural product from the sludge and blunt sides and blow out the contents, or remove the filling from one side of the hole using a syringe. The goal of the experiment is a natural look with a false filling. The filling can be in the form of vinegar and fill it with a syringe with a needle, or hot pepper diluted with water. Next, use a small piece of plasticine or other available material to rub the holes made so that everything does not leak out ahead of time.

As before, and to this day, many, whenever possible, feed slaughterhouse residues and waste, that is, everything that is no longer needed after the slaughter of large animals. You can also sometimes add about half a kilo of fat to the food for two dozen individuals.

Another option is the prompt collection of products, and if there are any leftovers from the products. Of course, constant patrolling will be impossible, but if time allows, you can try. Don’t forget about the usefulness of shellfish and fine gravel in the diet.

Video - An effective way to stop chickens from pecking eggs

Effective solution to the problem

If your attempt to identify the bully was unsuccessful, do not be upset. Place chalk rounds in a walking area or in a room, three at a time; they will attract the attention of individuals and thereby replenish their supply of necessary elements.

Important! Do not arrange the rounds into nests. The bird may be confused with its products if they are white.

Advice! If you have chalk in powder form, mix it with a small amount of water and make your own lumps.

With some effort, you can build a cunning nest yourself. The trick is to equip it with a chute and a reservoir for collecting products.

Another method for converting a nest is to slope it and have a hole in the middle of the nest, and then a hidden trench with a smooth slope and containers for assembling products. Of course, in this case, you will have to re-equip all available places for laying products, which greatly complicates the task.

It is also worth reconsidering the location of existing nests and the lighting of the room. Of course, it is worth considering that bright white light directly affects the productivity of individuals and should not be completely excluded. At the same time, an excess of such lighting leads to aggressive behavior. You can reduce the illumination by replacing the paw; if this is not possible, artificially shade the side where the nests are located. If a visible sign is still a lack of nutrients, then you need to install a UV lamp, especially in the winter season.

Proper diet for chickens

In case of acute deficiency of protein or other substances, it is necessary to provide the bird with adequate nutrition with the addition of protein at the rate of 5 grams per bird in the form of bone or fish meal. It is not unimportant to add cottage cheese, hay or root vegetables with cabbage leaves. It is worth taking a closer look at the ready-made composition; in a specialized pharmacy for pets, as a rule, they will have all the necessary components specially formulated for pieds. You can also crumble and add regular calcium gluconate to food if other specialized products for birds are not available. The more varied the food, the more beneficial it is in the body.

It must be taken into account that the productivity and spoilage of products directly depends more on the owner than on the pests. With proper care, which is important with a large walking area and good nutrition, such difficulties will never arise in a good farm, and if they suddenly do arise, then after they have been eliminated, it is worth reconsidering some factors to prevent future problems.

Video - How to get rid of the problem: chickens crush and eat eggs

Igor Nikolaev

Reading time: 4 minutes

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Podvortsy raise chickens for meat or eggs. Meat chickens are raised for up to 2-3 months. Laying hens are fed longer. At 4-6 months they carry out their first laying.

In order for egg production to be high, they need special nutrition, rich not only in protein feed, but also in mineral salts. They must be given calcium. It happens that poultry farmers find broken eggs in the nest. The chickens peck them out. Why are they doing that? How to solve the problem of pecking?

The egg contains all the nutrients that are necessary not only for the development and growth of chickens. They are also useful for adults. If chickens reach an additional food source, this may indicate an imperfection in the feeding table. The bird is missing something in its body. She instinctively extracts the missing substances from the eggs. Why do chickens eat their eggs?

The chickens are hungry. On day 1, an egg-producing individual should receive at least 120 g of feed. The feed is carried out at the same time. It is unacceptable to fill feeders with a large amount of grain at a time, which is designed for several meals. The bird can scatter it, trample it, and remain hungry.
If chickens peck eggs, then they lack vitamins and mineral salts. This is a signal for poultry farmers. Laying hens need nutritional supplements and premixes.
Large crowding of individuals per 1 m2. According to the rules for keeping poultry, there should be no more than 5 birds per 1 m2.
Egg pecking is also observed when kept in cages. Poultry farmers attribute this to a lack of walks and insufficient activity. Laying hens have always been highly mobile. They can tolerate cage keeping indoors for a short time.
If the shell of an egg breaks for some reason, the chicken will definitely open it. This is curiosity. The bird is just bored.

If the chickens have begun to eat their eggs, this indicates that pecking is beginning in the flock. You should pay attention to the plumage of birds. Bald patches, torn tail feathers, and bloody areas of the body are an alarming symptom. It is necessary to carry out preventive measures to eliminate pecking.

With a lack of mineral salts in the body, birds begin to pluck feathers from their fellow birds and eat them. In this way they obtain calcium and vitamins: feathers contain a large amount of B vitamins. If bald patches appear on the heads of some birds, this may mean that a leader is emerging in the herd, who is larger and stronger. Than other individuals. The rooster cannot be such a leader, because he will never touch the females. He is called upon to protect them. The leader must be identified and moved to another cell.

When chickens peck eggs, their behavior changes. They become restless, often hiding eggs or constantly staying near the nest. Aggression may occur due to a lack of magnesium salts. In this case, the hen may not give up her eggs. Usually such individuals are discarded.

With insufficient amounts of nicotinic acid, vitamin D, and A, birds begin to have problems with laying eggs. Egg production decreases, but eggs become larger. This phenomenon can provoke prolapse of the oviduct. He comes out of the cloaca. Other birds begin to peck at him. This could be fatal.

How to prevent pecking?

On forums, housekeepers often give advice if chickens peck eggs, what to do in such cases. Some resort to not entirely humane methods. The bird is caught, opens the shell, is dipped in water and sent to a separate cage. The cage is placed in a dark room, the light is not turned on. Feeding is carried out as normal, but no additives of animal origin are given. Crushed shells are poured into the feeders. The procedure with water is carried out for several days. They say that the bird becomes calmer, does not destroy nests, and does not peck eggs.

Experts advise identifying an individual that feasts on eggs and keeping it in a separate cage. Food is provided in the same way as for other individuals of the livestock.
Protein food additives are excluded from the diet.
Poultry gets protein only from plant sources. Along with wheat, soybeans and corn are being produced.
They begin to give more greens: nettles, green onions, alfalfa.
Calcium gluconate is administered. Therapy is continued for 3-5 days.
Birds are given fish oil 1 tsp. on the head.
Carrots, pumpkin, and cabbage are added to food.
On the site where the herd is kept, a shell rock or chalk stone is installed. Chalk and table salt are added to dry food. Along with the grain, a pecked egg is given: the shell is crushed.
If chickens peck at the shells, the daylight hours for them are reduced. This will affect egg production, but eliminate pecking.
Be sure to organize a place for sand baths.
“Toys” are placed on the site: a small fork of cabbage or an ear of corn.
If weather permits, the livestock are housed in outdoor enclosures. Fresh air and sunlight normalize the condition of birds.
In emergency situations, medications containing magnesium, selenium, copper, and zinc are used.

If chickens start pecking eggs, then it is necessary to find out the reason and take action. Egg pecking can occur due to a lack of calcium. This can also be determined by the condition of the egg. In acute deficiency, the shell is absent. It is replaced by a thin elastic film. What needs to be done? A laying hen should consume 4 g of chalk and 1 g of salt per day.

Preventive actions

To prevent eggs from pecking, it is necessary to follow all rules for keeping and feeding birds. For laying hens, seasonal feeding is used. In summer, they give a lot of grass or graze for 6 hours a day. In winter, grass is replaced with vegetables or silage, which is harvested in the spring, or grass meal.

The easiest way to fatten livestock is with combined feed. You just need to choose the version that corresponds to the period of growth and egg production. In private farmsteads, they most often prepare the food table themselves.

At any time of the year, laying hens should receive:

These are food supplements that contain mineral salts, vitamins and protein. In addition to them, the livestock is fed grain, on average 55 g per day. In summer, the main food is green grass. Fine gravel is added to the feed.

The main purpose of chicken breeding is obtaining egg products And. Therefore, the number of eggs laid, as well as their safety, plays an important role here. But if you dealt with the first question already during the selection and acquisition of a certain breed of laying hens, then the second may be relevant for quite a long time. So, why do chickens peck eggs and how to deal with this phenomenon?

Why do chickens peck their eggs?

Causes of egg pecking maybe a lot. The main ones are those listed below.

Unbalanced diet. Keeping chickens in a homestead requires appropriate nutrition, which must be balanced and as varied as possible. Each adult should receive the following types of nutrients:

Protein is a very important element that participates in the structure of the body and is part of a chicken egg. Protein is found in animal products (fish waste, bone meal, amphibians and shellfish), canola, sunflowers and soybeans.
Fats are deposited under the skin of the bird and are the basis of its energy reserves. This element can be obtained from oats, corn and grains.
Carbohydrates are involved in the formation of muscle tissue. Chickens need to be given carrots, fodder beets, potatoes, pumpkin, and grain.
Minerals are involved in all body processes and support the life of chickens. Microelements are found in small shells, bone meal, wood ash, lime, etc.

Why does a chicken peck its eggs: reasons

Cellular content

Despite many advantages, this method of keeping birds has a significant drawback: lack of free space can lead to eggs pecking. As a rule, cage housing is widely practiced in large farms in order to save square meters. At the same time, the majority of chicken flock owners do not even realize that the reason for egg pecking may be improper nest location. For example, if the nest is close to the ceiling, the hen may peck at her eggs and feed on them. Why do chickens peck eggs?

It's all about the special structure of the body: if a bird has at least once tasted even an accidentally crushed testicle, it will peck at all the others in order to feast on the product it likes. This process must be stopped as soon as possible. In our case, it is to provide the chickens with comfortable living conditions. Need to do spacious paddock and place nests out of sight (birds need privacy).

Calcium and vitamin D deficiency

Unbalanced diet, namely the lack of vitamin D and calcium in it, is one of the main reasons for the destruction of laid eggs by chickens. In this case, it is necessary to enrich the food with the following ingredients containing calcium:

Calcium gluconate;
bone flour;
calcium hydroxide;
shell rock

Chickens peck their eggs: what to do?

There are the following ways to prevent eggs from pecking:

Detecting an Egg Eater

To reveal the dirty trick it is necessary to carefully examine each individual, or rather, its beak and head. You can easily find dried yolk on the culprit's head feathers and beak.

If you are unable to identify the criminal in this way, you can try making false egg. This is done very simply - you need to empty the shell of its contents and fill it with food coloring. Naturally, eater's beak will turn into the color of the paint that was inside the shell.

Prevention measures

To prevent testicular pecking, the following preventive measures must be taken:

Provide birds with complete nutritious feed - this is one of the main conditions for preventing pecking.
Avoid excessive contamination of the litter and clear nests of debris.
Make sure your bird is getting the calcium it needs. In this case you will be able to protect the testicles from pecking and maintain the integrity of the shell.
Don't starve chickens.
Remove eggs in a timely manner from nests.
Keep your chickens busy with something more exciting. For example, you can offer to peck pumpkins or apples, rake compost, etc.

Pecking eggs- this is a rather serious problem for the owner of a private farmstead. However, the situation is easy to fix. To do this, you should take maximum care of your birds, take preventive measures and apply the above methods in combination. In this way, you can ensure excellent productivity of your farm.

Attention, TODAY only!

A fairly large number of farmers face the problem of chickens pecking their eggs. Among the factors and reasons that determine this behavior of birds, experts cite the lack of necessary conditions in the chicken coop, an unbalanced diet of chickens, and the natural aggressiveness inherent in some breeds of birds. When faced with such a problem, one should, by observing the herd, determine the culprit, and then determine the most rational solution to the situation. What to do if chickens peck their eggs? Ways out of such a situation include de-beaking the beak, adjusting the bird’s diet, weaning the bird off sabotage using baits with unpleasant contents, etc.

After analyzing the possible reasons, most experts come to the conclusion that the main reason why chickens begin to peck their eggs is an attempt to replenish the mineral components missing in the diet. However, this observation, as it turns out, concerns only that part of the individuals that can be identified in the general population according to such characteristics as:

Unexpected fractures that occur in birds with a certain frequency.
Partial loss of the ability to maintain balance when standing on the feet.
Production of eggs with thinner shells compared to other layers.
Slowing down the growth process of young animals.
Episodes of cannibalism.

Important! Observant farmers note that most cases of pecking due to a lack of minerals and vitamin deficiency are observed during the egg-laying season, during the molting period and, in rarer cases, associated with the growth process of chicks.

Possible causes of pecking

In addition to the listed factors, among the reasons that provoke chickens to peck their eggs, breeders name the following:

Some scientists are inclined to explain the tendency of chickens to damage eggs their idleness and curiosity. Initially, the hen's attention may be attracted by the white color of the egg, since due to curiosity in nature, birds tend to try all unfamiliar objects in search of a worm, she may peck at it. At this time, with a high probability, the rest of the birds will turn on the flock instinct, which encourages them to take the prey from their neighbor, as a result of which other chickens begin to peck at the egg. Having tasted its taste and received the calcium necessary for the body, chickens will search for and destroy objects similar to it. For a number of more compelling reasons, this explanation cannot be accepted as explaining the strange behavior of birds.

Note! To solve the problem of chickens pecking at their eggs, in this case it is enough to take measures to prevent eggs from being in a visible place, for example: by putting pumpkins in special trays and placing pumpkins in the chicken coop or by setting up a compost heap to provide chickens with activities in their free time from eating and sleeping.

Experts call one of the reasons for chickens destroying eggs vitamin D deficiency, the lack of which in the body of a bird can cause pathologies such as lack of coordination, rickets and even mass mortality of livestock.
Deviations in the behavior of chickens can lead to stressful situations or changes in conditions of detention, for example: moving a chicken coop to a new room, a sudden change in ambient temperature.
Farmers say that one of the reasons for the behavioral deformations of birds is the change lighting conditions of the detention area, for example: lights on throughout the day or lack of lighting in the chicken coop.
Not the least role in the emergence of an addiction, according to some experts, is played by accumulation of a large number of individuals in a small area of the chicken coop.

Video: why chickens peck their eggs - how to deal with it

Note! In this case, in addition to stressful situations and a high probability of transmitting various diseases, the likelihood that the bird will begin to peck at the eggs of its laying neighbors increases significantly.

Breeds of chickens prone to aggression

In addition to the listed factors, chickens can peck their eggs due to their belonging to the breed of aggressive type. Experts include such breeds as birds with an expressive disposition:

Oryol breed, which is distinguished by good resistance to adverse climatic conditions and high productivity. Despite this, this type of chicken in cramped conditions is capable of destroying not only eggs, but also adults of another species.
Dakan It is intolerant of other breeds, is bred for fighting, and is not suitable for keeping in a chicken coop.
Yurlovskaya vociferous belongs to the meat and egg breeds, has a well-fed build, good fighting skills and intolerance to other birds when kept together in a chicken coop. The negative qualities of this species are especially pronounced when kept without walking.

By the way! In addition to the listed breeds, such types of chickens as Loman Browns, Cochins, .

Methods for solving the problem

While searching for methods to solve the problem of chickens pecking eggs, breeders developed a set of recommendations that minimize the likelihood of this negative phenomenon.

Nutrition and diet

Among the most “deficient” mineral components, experts call those contained in the shell calcium. A lack of some essential elements in a chicken’s body can cause incoordination, rickets, immobilization and mass mortality of livestock. The scientific approach to feeding states that in order for a sufficient amount of nutrients to enter the bird’s body, the diet must include:

chopped and carefully mixed carbohydrates in the form of carrots, potatoes, pumpkin and beets;

Important! Breeders note that a lack of at least one of these components in the feed can cause chickens to peck at their eggs. It should be noted that the content of each component must be adjusted depending on the time of year and the physiological cycles experienced by the chicken.

fats in the form of oats, corn grains and additives from meat and dairy production waste;
proteins in the form of shell rock, bone meal, cake, sunflower seeds, meat and bone meal, fish waste.

Video: feeding chickens to prevent them from pecking their eggs

By the way! Experienced farmers recommend adding meat waste to chicken feed. However, it is important that the products included in the bird’s diet do not contain blood, since it increases the level of aggression in birds.

mineral substances that perform the function of grinding food in the crop and accelerating the digestion process, including gravel, small pebbles, sand, small shells, and wood ash.

Video: chicken pecking eggs - essential vitamins

Advice! Experienced farmers practice adding crushed eggshells to the diet of chickens to replenish the body with necessary substances. However, in this case, grinding the product to a crumb state is a critical condition, since otherwise the chicken will look for similar shaped oval or semicircular objects.

Pharmacy products

As medications for the treatment of pecking, adding a few drops of iodine to the drink is used to eliminate the supposed deficiency of this substance in the chicken’s body. If mass pecking of eggs by birds is detected, it is recommended to add 10-15 g/10 kg of the following drugs to their food:

Rex Vital;
Chiktonik;
Ryabushka;
Vitaminol;
Laying hen.

In addition, if other measures are not effective, some breeders recommend adding methionine and biovestin to the violator’s feed in an amount of 10 g/10 kg of feed.

Traditional methods

Experienced breeders recommend using a number of proven and effective methods to correct deviations in bird behavior, including:

identifying a violent individual and isolating it for several days from the livestock, as a result of which her sense of leadership will dull and the desire to show aggression will disappear;
exclusion of young laying hens moving in with older neighbors, since in this case there is a high probability of conflict situations, which may result in damage to the eggs;
sometimes it helps to cool down a chicken's ardor immersion in a barrel of water, carried out several times in a row exclusively in the summer, since chickens are very sensitive to colds.

Conditions of detention

In terms of living conditions, it is necessary to ensure the recommended humidity and temperature conditions in the room, the absence of drafts and the possibility of entry of pets to avoid stressful situations. Sometimes behavioral disorders are associated with untimely change of bedding, violation of hygienic conditions of detention, as a result of which, in addition to eggs, birds can peck at the surface of their own skin and other chickens. The chicken coop must provide optimal humidity conditions and the ability to ventilate the room; the temperature in it should not fall below -5°C.

Farmers also include the convenience of the nest among the factors that prevent chickens from damaging their own eggs, since otherwise, if the integrity of the shell is damaged, the chicken will definitely peck the egg. The nest should have enough space for the bird; it is not recommended to place it in a visible place or at a high altitude, as this may pose a stressful situation for the bird. The most experienced breeders practice equipping chicken nests with special trays equipped with a sloped surface that ensures rolling and braking of the product.

Note! When organizing additional lighting, its duration should not exceed 14-16 hours per day.

Walk (pasture for chickens)

As noted above, deviant behavior of chickens can be caused by insufficient lighting of the chicken coop or lack of daily exercise. It is recommended to provide an area for chickens to roam freely for several hours a day. This time will be enough for the bird to receive the required amount of vitamin D, produced under the influence of sunlight.

Note! In addition, it is advisable to equip the place for keeping chickens with ultraviolet lamps, which, in addition to compensating for the reduced walking time, will provide bactericidal treatment of the room.

If only one chicken pecks, how to identify it and wean it off?

You can identify the individual that is engaged in sabotage by the traces of yolk left after eating the eggs on the beak of the predator. If there are no marks on the beak, to identify the pest, experienced livestock specialists recommend making bait containing food coloring. If several birds cause damage, it is recommended to isolate them from the general population for several weeks, during which it is necessary to add supplements containing vitamins and calcium to their feed.

You can stop a chicken from pecking eggs by following one of the recommendations described below:

Trimming birds' beaks showing a tendency towards aggression.
By creating a dummy egg from plaster or filling an empty shell with a filler that is unpleasant for the bird, which include foam, liquid soap, mustard, hot pepper or vinegar, which must be carefully inserted into the blende and the damaged area covered with toothpaste mixed with chalk. Another way to implement this method is to prepare a stiff dough based on salt water and flour, from which it is necessary to roll a figure resembling the shape and size of an egg. The prepared mixture should be dried in the sun, where it should be kept until completely hardened. If such a decoy is placed in the nest and the hen makes several unsuccessful attempts to peck it, she will give up this activity.
Wearing special eyecups to limit the chicken's viewing angle. Breeders claim that this measure helps reduce the aggressiveness of the individual.

Video: chickens pecking eggs

Preventive measures

The set of preventive procedures includes measures to prevent hens from damaging their own eggs or the products of other laying hens. The most famous of them include:

Timely collection of eggs prevents accidental damage and pecking of the product by birds.
Finding something for the chickens to do, such as building a compost heap or hanging cabbages on a line.
In the evening, in winter, it is better to feed chickens with grain rather than mixed feed, since a longer period of its digestion will be associated with the release of energy to warm the bird, which will help reduce the degree of its anxiety.

Chicken pecking of eggs is a pathology that not only causes damage to the owner, but also increases the degree of aggression within the flock, which can create certain risks for weak individuals. However, the breeder’s attentive attitude towards the flock, timely identification and elimination of the causes of deviant behavior in chickens, makes it quite easy to wean birds from a bad habit.

Video: chickens peck eggs, what to do

In contact with

Every day, more and more poultry farmers are faced with the question: “The chicken is pecking at the eggs, what should I do?” This problem is quite common, and its causes are obvious. So why do chickens peck their eggs? The answer to this question is revealed below.

Why do chickens peck eggs? This behavior primarily indicates that the chicken does not have enough calcium in its body and it replenishes its supply by eating eggshells. To prevent chickens from pecking eggs, you need to add calcium supplements to their diet. In most cases, you can limit yourself to lump chalk, leaving it in places where birds feed. Another option is to crush the eggshells and then simply serve “instead of dessert.” However, the above option has its drawbacks: adding shells to the bird’s diet can make it addictive, and the chicken will never stop pecking at its own “products” while eating its favorite dish.

Particular attention should be paid to the area where poultry usually spend their time. They may simply not have enough territory, while their soul requires a walk. It is popularly believed that in such cases the chicken “gets offended” and begins to peck the eggs. To solve the above problem, you just need to expand the yard and cultivate it; Fresh grass must be present.

The desire to peck at “home-produced products” may depend on the breed. There are some breeds that simply cannot be kept in a classical manner due to their aggressiveness. In this case, the chickens have their beaks trimmed (de-beaking).

According to some farmers, one of the reasons for chickens pecking at eggs may be the taste of the yolk and white, which they love. Once having tasted the egg (and this, as a rule, happens completely by accident), the chicken cannot deny itself the pleasure.

What to do

Answers to the question: “How to stop a chicken from pecking eggs?” there are plenty. The most effective option is considered to be feeding birds with river sand, wood ash, chalk or dried nettles. At the same time, there is the so-called “old-fashioned method”: you need to knead a tight dough from flour and salted water, and then roll it into a ball, giving it the appropriate (egg-shaped) shape. Attention should be paid to the size of the resulting dummy - it should correspond to a chicken egg. Then this “culinary masterpiece” should be left to dry in a warm place, and when it dries and hardens, it should be placed in the nest. Chickens, having pecked the dummy several times unsuccessfully, will no longer peck eggs at all.

Also, to prevent chickens from pecking eggs, you can make a different type of dummy: carefully remove the contents from the whole product, dry it and fill it with mustard, hot pepper or vinegar. The hole, in turn, needs to be made small so that the contents of the dummy do not leak out. To do this you need to use a syringe with a needle.

If out of all the chickens only one is a “pest”, then you can isolate it or “use it for meat”. Such an individual can be identified by the remains of the yolk on the beak. If several chickens peck at eggs, they must be immediately isolated from the flock for 2 weeks. During this entire period they need to be “kept in custody” and fed with special supplements with vitamins and calcium.

Previously, in villages, to prevent chickens from pecking eggs, they were simply given slaughterhouse waste from time to time. All that was left after slaughtering domestic animals and cutting up their carcasses. You can give chickens lamb, pork or beef fat. The “dose” is about 0.5 kilograms per 25 chickens per week until the desired effect is achieved. Slaughterhouse waste can also be given as a preventive measure.

Also, to prevent chickens from pecking eggs, you need to quickly collect them and eggshells, but this requires a huge amount of effort. The nest can be “decorated” with an additional hole so that the egg rolls into a tray secured under the nest. In this case, the chickens will not peck the eggs, since they will be inaccessible.

Equipped nest with gutter and egg reservoir

Proper arrangement of nesting sites

One of the options aimed at weaning chickens from eating eggs is to review the conditions under which they are kept. So, the foundation of a proper and comfortable chicken coop setup is the construction of comfortable nests. An improper nest can be one of the reasons why chickens peck at eggs. Also, special attention should be paid to lighting; it should not blind the birds. Light bulbs, if used, should emit dim light. If you can’t darken the space, you need to cover the lamp at least halfway with a curtain or simple burlap. The roost should not be placed high near the ceiling. It’s also not worth saving space, since closely spaced nests can lead to laying hens destroying and pecking at the clutches, “coming to visit each other.” The small space forces the hens to step on the eggs, and if it breaks, they will undoubtedly peck it!

The peculiarities of keeping chickens in winter are characterized by the fact that they do not receive the required amount of ultraviolet radiation that comes from the sun. As a result, the amount of vitamin D in the chickens’ body decreases, and it plays an important role in the process of phosphorus-calcium metabolism. The balance of calcium and phosphorus in the body of chickens ensures the strength of the shells of eggs and the bones of the bird itself. When calcium levels in the body decrease, hens become lame, have difficulty walking and lay eggs with very thin shells, and sometimes without shells at all. Calcium, without vitamin D, has no beneficial effect on the chicken’s body, since it is poorly absorbed. Therefore, it makes sense to install a UV lamp in the chicken coop.

Why do chickens peck eggs? Perhaps the reason for this is the lack of protein in the diet of laying hens. In spring and summer, chickens have the opportunity to supplement their diet with natural protein by eating worms and insects. In winter they are deprived of this opportunity. The protein contained in plant-based feeds cannot meet the protein needs of birds. For a laying hen in winter, good range and variety of grains are not enough; it requires a minimum of 5-6 grams of protein per day. In the diet, first of all, you need to include the required amount of protein in the form of meat and bone or fish meal, low-fat cottage cheese and fortified minerals. Also, to prevent chickens from pecking eggs, it is necessary to introduce green grass or vitamin-rich grass hay, carrots, beets, pumpkin, cabbage, potatoes into their diet - they contain a lot of vitamins and carbohydrates.

"Pasture"

Experienced poultry farmers say that the pecking of eggs by chickens depends on the productivity of their walks. Chickens should be grazed in a sufficiently large enclosure, where vegetation and (preferably) sand or small pebbles must be present. Laying hens should have the opportunity to calmly peck grass on a spacious lawn, and not crowd in one place with a dozen “friends”. If it is not possible to make a separate large pen for poultry, then you need to release the chickens into the open area once a day. Laying hens must run around, peck the grass and stock up on proteins in the form of midges and worms.

Summarize. Answers to the question “Why do chickens peck their eggs?” There can be many, as well as, reasons for this unprofitable habit in chickens. Follow the above rules and your birds will not be tempted to peck their eggs.

Video “What to do if chickens peck eggs”

The video examines one of the reasons for chickens pecking eggs, and gives advice on how to prevent this problem.