[igetspam]

You should give them back to the hens. They prefer them fresh but they'll eat them cooked too. Producing an egg takes a lot of nutrients. They'll any that crack, to help replenish. They'll eventually eat the shells too, which helps with their digestion.

[margalabargala]

This is a good way to teach hens that "eggs are food" and they may start eating their own eggs before you can get to them.

[igetspam]

I have not had that experience. None of my current hens, or the dozens I've had, will eat them unless they're cracked. I toss them eggs every day and of the egg bounces without breaking, they will tap it with their beak and then leave it be. I know it can happen but I've not had it happen in the four or five years I've been keeping chickens. Although we wouldn't mind. We have them as pets and don't eat many of the eggs.

[margalabargala]

That's good that you haven't had that experience. We haven't either with our hens, but enough of our neighbors have had that experience that I've received the "don't let hens eat eggs" advice from more than one one person who had firsthand experience with a hen getting accustomed to eating eggs, then breaking open most/all eggs before they could be collected, and then that hen had to be killed to save the eggs from the other hens.