Can chickens eat scrambled eggs?

Confession time, my chickens are spoiled. It's true. I really pamper them, in fact....I cook for my chickens. No no, I don't cook my chickens, silly! I cook them breakfast! Usually it's what I call scrambled yukky eggs. Bear with me here because its not quite as gross as it sounds!

I have a few hens that like to hang out in the nest boxes longer then they should. I also have a few banty hens that like to sleep in the nest boxes. It's only makes sense that sometimes a bit of chicken poo winds up in the nest boxes. I clean them out in the mornings, but if someone already laid an egg by the time I get there....yuck! 

That one goes straight to the 'yukky egg basket'. Now, I know that many people just scrape or wipe off the eggs and use them, and for eating that is usually fine. However, I hatch most of my eggs and I have a fear of introducing bacteria into my incubators. It could ruin a whole hatch if an egg would spoil and explode during incubation.

There's a reason they're called stink bombs! Anyway, since I incubate most of our eggs, this leaves me with an often full 'yukky egg basket'. Also in winter if an egg freezes and splits it's not safe for humans to eat, so those get cooked too. 

If I get a particularly bloody eggs (as far as blood spots go) I'll cook that one for the chickens too. Basically they get everything we won't eat!

Actually, sometimes in summer I will just cook eggs for the chickens because when all my hens are laying I just have way too many eggs for us to use or even incubate! Sure, I give some away to friends and family, but the excess often get cooked for the chickens. They love them!

Can chickens eat cooked eggs?

I started feeding them back to the chickens. It's simple really. I wash the eggs first under running water. I heat up the skillet, get some oil out of the deep fryer (they don't seem to mind and it makes some space for new oil next time I fry) and start cracking eggs. 

I fry them up just like regular scrambled eggs, then let them cool and toss to the hens! 

If you are so inclined, the next step would be to rinse the egg shells and either let them dry or dry them in the oven (set on low). Crush up the shells and offer them to the chickens in a small dish just as you would oyster shell.  Here is How I use eggshells as a calcium supplement for the chickens.

Can chickens eat hard boiled eggs?

Yes, chickens can eat hard boiled eggs. However, they sometimes have a bit of trouble if the yolk falls apart on them. I tend to give my flocks treats in a small bowl so they're not chasing tiny bits all over the ground. 

Or you could just soft boil the eggs and let them cool. The yolk tends to stick together better that way!

If you want the easy way to "hard boil" eggs without having to peel the shell afterwards check out my recipe for baked eggs using a muffin tin. Super easy!

Adding vegetables to eggs for chickens

During the summer when the garden is at full speed, we often have extra produce like zucchini or tomatoes. I chunk up any bruised or bug bitten veggies and add them in with the eggs before serving. 

The chickens and guineas love it and it makes me feel a whole lot better about the diets of the ones that can't free range! 

Plus, it is an awesome use for food that normally would just go in the compost pile. Well, I guess it's still going to the compost pile....just taking a trip through a chicken first. lol

It's also a great way to use up eggs that you've frozen, but have been hanging out in the freezer just a bit too long!

Wont feeding scrambled eggs to chickens cause egg eating in hens?

No, not at all. I mean, if you start throwing them raw eggs then maybe they would start egg eating. However, a chicken is not going to understand that the cooked eggs you give them are the same as the eggs that they lay...so they will never associate eggs in the nest box with food simply because you fed them cooked eggs. 

They just don't have the mental capacity to put that together! Chickens are about as smart as a 4 year old child, but I'm pretty sure they don't understand the cooking process! LOL

Generally egg eating starts because an egg in the nest box cracks accidentally and the chickens realize there's food in there! Of course not all chickens instantly start attacking all the eggs, but some might. 

If your worried about egg eating there are a few ways you can prevent or stop egg eating in chickens.

Have a great day!

~L 

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