INSECTS AND OTHER TROUBLES 143 
shells is an obvious cause. If green food is lacking 
that may have a tendency to cause this trouble. 
There seem to be few shelless eggs when a hopper 
of bran and beef scraps is kept in the pen. Sudden 
fright may cause the dropping of an egg before the 
shell has formed. 
Egg eating is a bad habit and often difficult to 
eradicate, for a whole flock may contract it from a 
single hen. The original cause usually lies in a lack 
of shell-making material or of meat. Ifa hen with 
this habit is discovered, she should by all means 
be removed from the pen. Sometimes a number of 
nest eggs scattered about the floor will put a stop to 
the practice, the hens soon becoming tired of testing 
their beaks on the hard surfaces. Another remedy 
may give better results, although calling for a little 
more work. The natural contents of several eggs 
may be removed and the shells filled with a mixture 
of soft soap and red pepper, the openings being 
closed with bits of court plaster. After breaking a 
few eggs of this sort and sampling the contents, the 
hens are likely to be sickened of this habit. Keep- 
ing the nests dark is also advisable. 
Feather eating is another bad habit, and may arise 
either from a craving for more animal food or from 
