The plastic easter eggs are in the coop. Oyster shell is toughening the shells. Real eggs are harder to find mixed in among the plastics. The score today was chickens 1 (maybe 2), Bernie 5. So I constructed a mustard/tobasco egg. Proudly toted it to the coop and plunked it in the middle of the floor. They descended on it to see who could break it first. Most gave up, but 'Queen feather picker who still has all her own feathers' (I have another name for her, but it's just too rude for this forum) is obviously the ring leader. She persisted. It broke. All descended to help consume. I was terribly disappointed with the fact that it didn't seem to bother them. They ate it all. Every crumb. With enjoyment.

Things are not looking promising for the future of my girls. I still intend to keep them long enough to get hatching eggs. But it's looking more and more like there'll be 8-10 new Shaver Red 20-wk-old ready-to-lay pullets on my April meat bird order. Hmm. Disappointing. I did raise these ones from day-old along with my meat birds (I buy a slower growing dual purpose bird, so they were not outgrown the way they would be with White Rocks). And they're not old - got them June 8.

I am going to raise the nest boxes this afternoon, and put covers over the openings. My next boxes started out at the right height, but I use deep litter, and as I add shavings the distance between the floor and the bottom of the nest boxes decreases.

Racing the hens for the eggs is not a huge problem this time of year when I'm home most of the time. But we're coming into the prime season at work, and I'll be working full time very shortly. Their sole purpose is to provide me with eggs. If they don't pay their rent, they get evicted.

Any good recipes?

-- Bernie from Northern Ontario (bernadette_kerr@hotmail.com), March 05, 2002

Answers

Hi Bernie, I haven't read your other posts, but have you tried wooden or glass eggs, or golf balls? Our buff orpingtons were eating their eggs, and that was the only thing that stopped them. I guess after pecking on those hard unbreakable eggs they got a headache and gave up. Sorry for all your trouble!

-- Tracey in Alabama (trjlanier@cs.com), March 05, 2002.

sorry ms. bernie, birds like pepper! it is an additive in pet bird food often. don't know how they feel about vinegar or mustard, but from your story it sounds like it won't slow them down much.

-- bj pepper in C. MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), March 05, 2002.

Bernie, chickens are "dry tongued" eaters. Almost no taste buds whatever. Nothing you can use that relies on "taste" will help you here. I wish I had some help to give you but I are a duck person! LOL Have you, just for interest, posted on www.poultryconnection.com just to see what is going on there for this type of thing? Must be very aggravating! I hope you solve it and let us know how. LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), March 05, 2002.