Why Do Chickens Eat Their Eggs (& How to Stop It)
So, why do chickens eat their eggs? We’re here to tell you why this is happening and what you can do about it. And, fortunately, this is usually a simple fix!
It’s not completely unnatural for chickens to eat eggs, but there could be a more significant issue you want to address regarding why they’re doing it. You also probably don’t want the mess it can create in their coop and want to enjoy these fresh eggs for yourself or share them with others!
Whether your chickens have already started this habit or you want to make sure it doesn’t start in the first place, you can follow the steps below.
Why Do Chickens Eat Their Eggs?
The good news about chickens eating their own eggs is that there are only a few reasons it might be happening. This makes it relatively easy to narrow down the issue and put a stop to chickens eating eggs. So, why do chickens eat their eggs? Here are the main reasons:
- Your chickens are sick or don’t have a balanced diet.
- There are too many eggs in the coop.
- Your chickens are bored.
How to Stop Chickens From Eating Eggs
Now that we’ve answered the question why do chickens eat their eggs, we can take a look at how to stop it so you can enjoy delicious fresh eggs for yourself and keep your flock healthy and happy!
Identify the chicken(s) eating the eggs.
When you know which chicken is responsible for eating the eggs, it’s easier to put a stop to it. It may be just one chicken or a few. The easiest way to figure this out is to catch them in the act. Otherwise, you can observe to see if any of your chickens have dried yolk on or around their beak.
Once you identify the chicken eating eggs, you can do further investigation to ensure it’s healthy and that there’s not a bigger problem. You could also isolate the chicken for a couple of days to see if it stops or if others are doing it.
Be sure your chickens are healthy.
Sometimes chickens eat eggs because their diet isn’t balanced, and they lack nutrition. If your chickens are malnourished, they may seek food out for themselves. Chickens need a balanced diet that consists of water, protein, grains, vegetables, and fruit. Check out our complete guide to feeding your chickens to learn more!
Your chicken could also have a parasite that’s affecting their health and causing them to eat their own eggs. Make sure you check with your vet if you think this could be a possibility and treat your flock for parasites.
Reduce boredom for your chickens.
Oftentimes the answer to why do chickens eat their eggs is simply boredom. The good news about this is that it’s a fairly simple fix. You can ensure your flock has other activities to enjoy aside from eating their own eggs with these fun toys.
Another way to reduce or prevent boredom is to stimulate your flock by teaching them tricks. Check out this article for training your chickens to do fun tricks!
Make the eggs inaccessible.
You may find that the previous steps are all you need to take to stop your chickens from eating their own eggs. If the problem persists, you can take a few measures to make the eggs inaccessible. Here are some ideas for doing that:
- Collect the eggs more often. If you’re collecting eggs regularly, there aren’t as many eggs available for your chickens to eat. If you can, collect eggs daily. Best of all, you can store your eggs in fun egg cartons like these.
- Invest in protective nesting boxes. Some nesting boxes are made with curtains to safeguard eggs better.
- Put nesting boxes in a darker space. Hens prefer to lay eggs in a dark, private space. If their nesting box is out in the open, they may choose to lay them in an area that’s more accessible to the chickens that eat eggs.
Why Do Chickens Eat Their Eggs: Final Thoughts
The main reasons chickens eat their own eggs are an unbalanced diet, boredom, and too many eggs in the coop. Since these are pretty straightforward issues to address, you should be able to put a stop to chickens eating eggs in no time!
Good luck! And to learn more about washing and storing your fresh eggs, check out this guide.
