I would cull the hen. Get some new pullets.

Today I went out after work and there were four eggs. three in good condition and one had a hole on the top pecked out the size of a dime.

So I threw the cracked egg away and began to feed my pigeons near by. I put the eggs on top of a rabbit hutch and was feeding roller pigeons and as I walked by a blue jay flew away near the rabbit hutch. Now I ha two eggs and one pecked with a hole in it just like the other one from the hen house.

So now I am going to get up early and see if a chicken is doing it or the blue jay or both. I am thinking the blue Jay went in and craked the eggs and the chicken saw it and began to eat them too. My son said he will run out each time they cackel and wait and check each chicken to see who it the culprit. I sure hope its the blue jay only but if not we will have chicken stew soup this winter. Bill C

It looks like you caught your blue jay chicken in the act. not much meat on a blue jay chicken. But blue jays are little terrors.

Look for yellow crusty flecks on the beak. Once you find the offenders you can clip the top beak half an inch with a pair of wire clippers and the problem will go away.

I always heard you can put fake eggs in there too. switch the eggs right away and they give up eventually. That is what I heard anyway

I have found the best way so far to break the habbit was to put in some wooden eggs. I even painted them brown color like the eggs. It has really helped, but I am trying to collect the eggs soon and not leave them in the nest. I do think they are giving up pecking at the eggs that wont crack.

I had clipped the top beak of the two culprits but that did not help in my case. The dummy eggs work best and culling them would have worked too but I would not have eggs for a year or longer since there are no chicks available until spring time. Thought I would mention what worked best since someone might read this later on. Thanks for the replies. Bill C

Mine try the egg eating about once a year. It's just a nasty habit, and I've been successful in breaking it, if when it starts I make a point of getting out there early in the day to feed and water, and checking three or four times a day for eggs and gathering them each time. With no eggs in the lay boxes, and food in their hopper, they seem to give up after a couple weeks and leave the eggs alone.

The egg eating usually starts if I wait too long in the day to feed. They'll get hungry and then try an egg, and the next thing you know, they decide they like them better than their mash. It just takes some preserverance.