egg eating

[Shallishanti]

any tips?
I found them eating one about 2 wks ago, no eggs since, then today found them doing it again grr
afaik, only 1 in lay
ususally we are out all day so I can't be hovering waiting for her to lay and then whip it away!

Aren't you supposed to get an empty eggshell and fill it with mustard to put them off?

yes I have heard this but can't imagine actually doing it- is the egg supposed to look 'whole'? also, I thought birds couldn't taste 'hot' so would it even work?

I have two chickens, both in lay. A few months ago one started eating the other's eggs. I bought some fake eggs (to make them think pecking eggs was useless), I filled an egg with dijon mustard and all the spices in the spice cupboard but I'm not sure she found this distasteful (and I admit I only bothered doing this once). I started putting their feeder in the house at night so they'd have something to eat in the mornings (besides eggs) before I let them out. The chicken is still happily eating her friend's eggs.

I read that the best recommendation is to the cull the offending bird, and I would probably agree. I am culling mine anyway in a few months as I will be moving, so I'm just putting up with it.

Fake eggs from pets at home worked for me. They are very hard.

Can you somehow position your nest box so the eggs roll away from the chicken, i.e. have it on a bit of a slant. At work we had two chickens who layed on a system like this for a few months and now no longer egg eat. We tried mustard but it didn't work. You have to blow the eggs first then fill - have heard mixed reviews - I think there is only one type of mustard that works and I'm not sure which one it is :)