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Egg Eating in Poultry: Causes and Prevention
Egg eating is an undesirable behavioral problem in poultry that can result in considerable egg loss and reduced productivity within a flock. Early recognition and appropriate management are important because the behavior can spread among birds and become difficult to control once established.
Sometimes birds develop a tendency to eat their own eggs. It becomes quite difficult to prevent this vice. It may start due to the presence of cracked eggs or accidental breakage of eggs, and once the birds develop a taste for them, they start breaking their own eggs.
Factors responsible for egg breakage or cracking include thin or soft eggshells or a lack of sufficient litter material in the laying area. The presence of eggs for longer periods in the pens may also encourage the birds to start egg eating.
Prevention
- Isolate the birds that have developed this habit.
- In consultation with a poultry expert, the quantity of limestone and protein should be increased in the diet.
- Egg eaters should be kept in a cage in which the egg rolls away, beyond the reach of the bird.
- Debeaking also reduces this tendency.
- Darkness in the laying area may prevent this habit.
- Increase the frequency of egg collection.
