Chickens peck their eggs - what's the problem and what to do

A fairly large part of farmers is faced with the problem of chickens biting their eggs. Among the factors and reasons that determine this behavior of the bird, experts call the absence of the necessary conditions for keeping in the chicken coop, an unbalanced diet of chickens, 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 if the chickens are pecking their eggs? Some of the ways out of this situation include debicking the beak, adjusting the bird's diet, weaning the bird from sabotage using baits with unpleasant contents, etc.

Why chickens peck their eggs

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 missing mineral components in the diet. However, this observation, as it turns out, applies only to that part of the individuals that can be distinguished in the total livestock by such characteristics as:

1. Sudden fractures that occur at regular intervals in a bird.
2. Partial loss of the ability to maintain balance with a normal footstand.
3. Production of eggs with thinner shells than other layers.
4. Slowing down the growth process of young animals.
5. Episodes of cannibalism.

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

Possible reasons for pecking

In addition to these 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 unemployment and curiosity... Initially, the chicken'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 can peck it. At this time, with a high probability, the flock instinct will turn on in other birds, prompting to take away the prey from the neighbor, as a result of which other chickens begin to peck the egg. Having tasted its taste and getting 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 biting their eggs, in this case, it is enough to take measures to exclude the eggs being in a conspicuous place, for example: by placing pumpkins in special trays and placing in the hen house or arranging a compost heap to provide chickens with activities in their free time from eating and sleeping.

• As one of the reasons for the destruction of eggs by chickens, experts call lack of vitamin D, the lack of which in the body of a bird can cause such pathologies as impaired coordination, rickets and even a massive death of the livestock.
• Deviations in the behavior of chickens can lead stressful situations or changing conditions of detention, for example: moving to a new chicken coop room, a sudden change in ambient temperature.
• Farmers cite change as one of the causes of behavioral deformities in birds. lighting conditions of the place of detention, for example: the burning of light during the entire period of the day or the lack of lighting in the chicken coop
• Not the least role in the emergence of addiction, according to some experts, plays the 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 transmission of various diseases, the likelihood that the bird will begin to peck at the eggs of the laying hens significantly increases.

Breeds of chickens prone to aggression

In addition to these factors, chickens can peck their eggs because of their breed of aggressive type. Among the birds with an expressive disposition, experts include such breeds as:

• Oryol breed, which is distinguished by good resistance to adverse climatic conditions and high productivity. Despite this, this type of chickens in a cramped room is able to destroy not only eggs, but also adults of another species.
• Daqan it is distinguished by intolerance to other breeds, is cultivated for participation in battles, unsuitable for keeping in a chicken coop.
• Yurlovskaya vociferous belongs to meat and egg breeds, has a well-nourished complexion, 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 these breeds, such types of chickens are prone to aggressive behavior as Loman Brown, Kohinhinam, Zagorskaya Salmon.

Problem solving methods

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

Nutrition and diet

Among the most "scarce" mineral components, experts call it contained in the shell calcium. The lack of some essential elements in the chicken's body can cause impaired coordination, rickets, immobilization and mass death of livestock. The scientific approach to feeding states that in order for a sufficient amount of nutrients to enter the body of a bird, the diet should include:

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

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

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

Video: feeding for chickens so that they do not peck their eggs

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

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

Video: a chicken pecks eggs - essential vitamins

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

Pharmacy products

As medications, for the treatment of pecking, the addition of a few drops of iodine to the drink is used to eliminate the alleged deficiency of this substance in the chicken's body. In case of detection of mass pecking of eggs by birds, it is recommended to add to their food in the amount of 10-15 g / 10 kg of such preparations as:

• Rex Vital;
• Chiktonik;
• Grouse;
• Vitaminol;
• Laying hen.

In addition, in the absence of the effectiveness of other measures, some breeders recommend adding methionine, biovestin in the amount of 10 g / 10 kg of feed to the offender's feed.

Traditional methods

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

• identification of a violent individual and its isolation 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 the addition of young layers to older neighbors, since in this case there is a high probability of conflict situations, the result of which may be damage to the eggs;
• sometimes it helps to cool the ardor of the chicken immersion in a barrel of water, carried out several times in a row exclusively in the summer period, since chickens are very sensitive to colds.

Conditions of detention

With regard to the conditions of detention, the recommended modes of humidity and temperature of the room, the absence of drafts and the possibility of entry of pets, should be ensured to exclude stressful situations. Sometimes behavioral disorders are associated with untimely change of litter, violation of hygienic conditions of detention, as a result of which, in addition to eggs, birds can peck the surface of their own skin and other chickens. The hen house should provide for an optimal humidity regime and the possibility of ventilation in the room, the temperature in it should not fall below -5 ° C.

Farmers also consider the convenience of the nest to be among the factors that exclude damage by chickens to their own eggs, because otherwise, violating the integrity of the shell, the chicken will necessarily peck the egg. The nest should have enough room for the bird, it is not recommended to place it in a visible place or at a high height, as this can be stressful for the bird. The most experienced breeders practice equipping chicken nests with special trays, equipped with a surface made with a slope and allowing the product to roll and brake.

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

Walking (pasture for chickens)

As noted above, the deviant behavior of chickens can be caused by insufficient lighting of the chicken coop or lack of daily exercise. It is recommended to organize a free-range area for chickens for several hours a day. This time will be enough for the bird to enter 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 duration of walking in winter will provide bactericidal treatment of the premises.

If only one chicken bites, how to calculate and wean it

You can identify an individual that is engaged in sabotage by the traces of the yolk remaining after eating eggs on the beak of the predator. In the absence of marks on the beak, to identify the pest, experienced livestock specialists recommend making a bait containing food coloring. If damage is caused by several birds, 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 wean a chicken from pecking eggs by following one of the recommendations below:

1. By trimming the beaks of birdsshowing a tendency to aggression.
2. By creating a plaster cast of an egg or filling an empty shell with filler unpleasant for the bird, which include foam, liquid soap, mustard, hot pepper or vinegar, which must be carefully inserted into the blende and cover the damage with toothpaste mixed with chalk. Another way to implement this method is to prepare a tough dough based on salt water and flour, from which it is necessary to roll a figure that resembles the parameters of an egg in shape and size. The prepared mixture should be dried in the sun, where it should be kept until completely solidified. When placing such a snag in the nest and several unsuccessful attempts by the chicken to peck it, she will refuse this activity.
3. By putting on special eyecups to limit the viewing angle of the chicken. Breeders claim that this measure helps to reduce the aggressiveness of the individual.

Video: chickens peck eggs

Preventive measures

The complex of preventive procedures includes measures to prevent chickens from damaging their own eggs or products of other layers. The most famous of them are:

• Timely collection of eggs, prevents accidental damage and pecking of the product by the bird.
• Finding an activity for chickens, such as building a compost heap or hanging cabbage on a rope.
• In the evening, in winter, it is better to feed chickens with grain, and not with compound 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.

Pecking eggs by chickens refers to pathologies that not only cause damage to the owner, but also increase the degree of aggression within the livestock, which can create certain risks for weak individuals. However, the attentive attitude of the breeder to the herd, the timely identification and elimination of the causes of deviant behavior in chickens, make it possible to simply wean the birds from the bad habit.

Video: chickens peck eggs, what to do