Broodies eating their eggs

Misty · **Posted:** Tue Dec 16, 2008 8:49 pm

I have had 3 RIR broodies eat their eggs. They begin with 8-10 and after 3 weeks, they have about 1 or 2 left. No sign of shell or egg.

I would be surprised if it was a nutrition issue - they are free range, lots of comfrey and silverbeet, high protein food...should not be lacking in their diet.

No eggs seem to be eaten before they go broody.

They sit in broody boxes with plenty of room to get off the nest, eat and drink and I line their nests with wormwood to keep the lice at bay.

My bantams happily hatch their eggs, but the big chooks are just not doing the job.

This has not happened in previous years - any suggestions?

Ben's chooks · **Posted:** Wed Dec 17, 2008 5:59 am

could something else be eating the eggs?

littletoni · **Posted:** Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:18 am

Are they the only three chickens in the pen, because I know when our chook went broody one of the other chickens that was in the pen with her started to eat her eggs when she would get up to go and eat.

CJ · **Posted:** Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:23 am

Veg gardener wrote:

could something else be eating the eggs?

it could be rats especially when they've been sittin on them for a while. i know rats used to steal our eggs

littletoni · **Posted:** Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:25 am

Oh and crows love to steal eggs too if they can get into the enclosure.

County Lodge · **Posted:** Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:09 am

I would say the most likely culprit is a rat. Next a snake. If the hens were eating their eggs there would be some shell left. Something is taking the egg away. I don't think it is a crow as the hens usually sit tight if there is a crow around even though crows are real menaces for stealing eggs. The crow could only get at it when the hen leave the nest to eat, drink or poop. Rats will still them from right under the hen and give the hen a good bite if it tries to stop it.

CJ · **Posted:** Wed Dec 17, 2008 8:38 pm

yeah i know that our chooks are scared of rats so yours might actually get off the eggs and run away. in that case you need to set some traps up or put out some bait for the rats, just don't use pellets around your chooks. good luck

Misty · **Posted:** Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:34 pm

Well, each chicken has been completely secure. No rats or snakes could possibly get to them - and they are all in separate broody boxes, so no-one can steal their eggs. The cat takes care of the shed and she is not into eggs! The chickens are in a box about 400mm x 1200mm x 400mm high with a mesh top...thing is that all my chickens over the years have successfully hatched eggs in these boxes and my bantams still do...mystery heh? There is certainly a terrible smell, and I will rummage through the hay once they are off to see if there is evidence of shell...I am pretty sure there will be.
Thanks for your input everyone.

CJ · **Posted:** Sat Dec 20, 2008 6:36 pm

that is a mystery

swallow67 · **Posted:** Sun Dec 21, 2008 6:26 am

Are these large RIR and have you used them for broodies before?I never use my large sussex hens for hatching chicks as they are too big and rather clumsy and break more eggs than they hatch.And then if they do manage to get a couple out, are likely too trample them.Not intentionally, it is just due to their size and weight. I only use nice light little bantams like Wyandottes or Pekins. :-D

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