Chicken Rolling Eggs out of the Nest Boxes - What Gives?

[ErinG]

Our banty hen is 9 months old. She laid her first egg one week ago and then began very carefully rolling the egg around with her beak. We thought it was kind of cute, took her egg and didn't think of it again. Today she laid her second egg, and we caught her red handed moving the other eggs out into the roost (out of the nest box) later in the day. One was headed out the roost door, but her attempt was thwarted by us. These movements seemed very calculated. Her egg remained carefully tucked in the corner of the nest box. Now looking back, I have been finding eggs for the last week out of the nest boxes...
Anyone else have this experience?

The fix is easy, we just need to build the lip around the nest boxes up, but I'm curious what the behavior means.

 

[emys]

Sounds like she wants her own private nest box. Those other eggs are cluttering up her space.

 

[ErinG]

Of course it would be our tiniest chicken that "needs" more space! It sounds like some sort of behavior that leads to her genes being passed on while the other's don't. She's like a starling!