Chickens eating their own eggs

[Crickleymal]

Our 4 chickens have recently started eating their own eggs. Sometimes straight after laying them. Any ideas on how to stop them? Having to keep running outside when you see one disappear into the coop is not terribly practical.

[oldjerry]

We've been here a few times.Firstly,are you sure it's all of them,usually it's just one culprit.Here's a few ideas,hang some leaves,cabbage etc at head hight give them some thing to play with,make sure they're getting plenty of grit,could be the egg shells are breaking easily,they will always get a taste for them.Lastly resort to trusted old trick ,break egg mix contents with English mustard,place back in shell.
Good luck,if you can identify a single culprit,and can't sort it out,you may have to be thinking along the lines of Tikka Massala,'cos there are some who just won't stop. BWs.

[Crickleymal]

Thanks for that. It was 3 out of the four birds for definite. We've given them away now to two different home, both of whom reckon they can cure them.

We went back to the place that we bought our original chickens from 6 years ago. They're going to sell us four birds for £1 apiece. Bargain even if they are past the battery farm sell by date.

[Niele da Kine]

We've only the three hens, but if their nest box is full of dried grass they don't eat the eggs. If the nest box is bare, then they eat the eggs. Haven't a clue why. Is your nest box full of straw?