It's a super frustrating habit that I believe the concesus is that once the flock has developed it it is very difficult to break. Seems like there's always something on the farm messing up the master plan. Aside from making the nest boxes really dark, incorporating a roll out system for the eggs, separating the younger birds that aren't laying in the proper place and collecting super regularly before anybody gets a wise idea, I'm at a loss as you seem to be. My tolerance for trouble makers in the flock is about zero. It would be a shame to have to cull the entire flock just because of a few bad apples. I assume they are recieving adequate nutrition and perhaps oyster shell as a supplement. This would rule out their looking for something they are missing.

Hi, Figsrfun (yes, they are, aren't they!) We do have oyster shell always available, and we're feeding the ingrates Blue Seal Organic Layer Pellets at a premium price, so we're not pleased that they're eating what they produce. We did get an egg a couple of days ago and have seen no broken ones since; I'm wondering whether the ceramic eggs are discouraging the behavior. I'm still not sure why they've come to a dead stop, though. Before they stopped laying we'd get the occasional egg broken and eaten but we were still collecting a decent number despite that. Hadn't thought about separating the younger ones; we've never had problems with the youngest hens laying in the wrong place before. Previous years' pullets always seemed to figure it out quickly. And it's those that seem most enticing to the cannibals among the flock.

Hi I thought I would say that I have had the same problem for a while. i hear a chicken clucking and I run to the coop to get there. many times I am already to late. I have had egg eating chickens before and it is almost impossible to break the habit once it gets established. However, I thought I would just say that this time the culprit is not my hens. I have caught one of my farm cats stealing the eggs! And he is terribly sneaky. I have even caught him in the box with the hen before she even gets out. He of course has to find a new home, but thought I would say in case you have cats, check and make sure one of them isn't getting a little plumper ;)

We have only one barn cat and I've never seen her in the chicken yard. I've wondered if possibly snakes were the culprit, but we have seen chickens attack and eat eggs. It's just odd that no one is laying eggs in the nestboxes; the days are getting longer and you'd think they'd take the hint.