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Ceramic eggs aren’t just for decorating, they are also useful in the chicken coop! This is my first year of using ceramic eggs. So far I love it and won’t ever go without them!
Here are several reasons why I leave a few fake eggs in my nesting boxes.
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Encourage Laying in the Nesting Boxes
Before my new pullets began laying this summer I decided to order some ceramic eggs. I didn’t want to deal with eggs being laid in odd places or just under their roost. I ordered these eggs and they worked! They’re super cheap – I paid around $5 for this set.
I just left the ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes and slowly but surely my pullets got the idea. Eggs only in the nesting boxes!
I wrote ‘fake’ on the eggs so I accidentally didn’t collect them. They definitely have a different feel and weight to them, but my Mom collected them once because she wasn’t sure (telling on you, Mom!) I’m pretty sure my hens can’t read…so I didn’t mind marking them.
No More Egg Eaters!
Ugh. This is one of those things that just makes me so frustrated. Reaching into the nesting box and right into gooey leftovers from somebody’s snack. I didn’t have a consistent ‘egg-eater’, but every now and then somebody would get a hankering for some egg. Maybe one wasn’t formed right and would get cracked (I’d like to think this was the scenario but deep down I know it’s probably not the case.)
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After cleaning off my hand I had to try and figure out who the feathered culprit was. Did I separate each chicken one-by-one or try to catch them in the act? Really now. Rarely have I ever caught one actually eating the egg. But when I do I have to ask if they were actually the ‘egg-eater’ or did they just come upon it and couldn’t help themselves?
I decided ceramic eggs might solve two problems for me. I wish I had a camera in the coop to see that bird’s first reaction when they pecked one of the ceramic eggs. Ouch! So far we have no broken beaks!
I’m so happy to report that the ceramic eggs worked! I haven’t had any eggs eaten since putting them in the nesting boxes! Can I get a hallelujah?!
Encourage Broody Hens
Lastly, this may or may not be something you want to encourage. I have one particular Barred Rock hen who looooves to go broody. Her name is ‘Daisy’, although when she’s broody she gets nicknamed ‘McNasty.’ Lucky for me she doesn’t care if they’re ceramic eggs or real eggs. She just wants to snuggle some eggs. I’m actually wanting her to go broody this spring to hatch some for me.
Last spring I tried my hand at incubating eggs. We borrowed an incubator from my mother-in-law and it was a really fun experience. My two year old daughter loved watching the little chicks hatch. The incubator that I used was older so I had to hand-turn the eggs several times a day, and keeping the humidity and temp right was a challenge. We did hatch some chicks though and I have so much more respect for Momma hens!
I decided earlier this year, with a new baby, that I’d let the hens do the work. They are, after all, way more efficient at this thing…but as we get closer to spring I got the itch for more chicks and decided to buy a new incubator. I’m so excited!!
So now go get yourself some ceramic eggs and train your girls! It really helped my flock!
Until my next post…about my new incubator…hah! Happy trails!
Tiffany
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This is extremely dangerous if you have snakes that visit the coop, if they eat one it will kill them, they will starve to death, and in a snake this can take up to six months, even if you’re not a fan of our super helpful snake friends, causing a long stuffering starvation death to any animal is inhumane.
Oh my! Growing up, or even now, I’ve never had a snake get eggs or even get into our coops, so that is pretty foreign to me! If snakes are a problem in your coop, then yes you definitely need to take that into consideration:)
Did you wait until your hens started laying before putting them in there or did you put them in the nesting boxes when the younger hens reached laying age? I definitely want to try these because I have heard great things. Mine are almost 16 weeks old.
Hi Rachel! You can put them in anytime. I have had them in with older hens and younger pullets. It definitely helps at all ages!
I have 13 week old chicks. When should I put the ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes? Is it possible to do it too early? How many eggs per box?
Hi Lucy, You can put them in any time. They’ll get the idea when they see the ceramic eggs and should lay where they are supposed to!
Once your chicks are laying, do you take them out? I did and my chicks have no problem knowing where to put their eggs….I only have 5 laying…..but they are all there…
I have 3 year old chickens and will be introducing them to a new coop. I used the ceramic eggs when they were pullets. Should I use them again with the new coop?
Jon,
I always keep two ceramic eggs in the boxes. It is helpful for training the hens to lay in the boxes, but also to deter egg-eating. That is a habit you definitely don’t want to start! I write ‘fake’ on the ceramic eggs so I know which ones are which.
I put a couple of fake eggs in nest boxes because I had a chicken laying on the floor. But now I can’t tell which is real and which is fake. Can you help?
Oh no! They make them so realistic! You could try to crack them. The ceramic eggs do have a different feel and a different texture on the outside. I do think they feel lighter than actual eggs, and if you shake them (gently) you won’t feel the yolk move. After you figure out which are which, write ‘fake’ with a sharpie on them! Hope that helps!:)
My chickens started eating their eggs, they went crazy for them. I had one broody lady sit on hers so the others wouldn’t eat them. So I finally put golf balls down, while I bought ceramic one eggs. That did it. The moment I set the golf all down they wanted to chow down. Savages, haha. Well now I’m back to my 6 to 8 eggs a day. I gave them mealworms, and I think that was the start of the savagery against eating their eggs. They also started fighting because of the mealworms. I grew up with chickens, but I don’t ever remember them eating the eggs back then.
Oh no! Glad it worked! It can be so frustrating when you get an egg eater, but I’m so thankful the fake eggs deter them!