- Sep 13, 2013
- 54
- 5
- 43
Yesterday I went to fetch the eggs from the box and freshen up the coop. I let the girls out as I do on most evenings to range in the back yard. As I was walking to the shed to get some more straw for the nest boxes I walked past my most seasoned hen. She is not afraid of me, but when I approached her she squat down in a very awkward way, I had never seen her in this position before. I paused for a second and she popped out an egg right there on the lawn. It was a rubbery egg shell and she went to eating it immediately. I could not get her off of it. I would shew her away and she would return right to the egg. I have never seen her lay an egg outside of the box (much less right out in the open of the lawn) and I have never seen her eat an egg before.
My dog was out in the yard with the chickens as he often is and he too was trying to get the egg so I had to round him up to the kennel and then get the egg from the chicken, but she had eaten most of it at that point. Of course the younger hens all came over to see what was going on and some may have gotten a taste as well. I was trying my best to get the egg out of there because I didn't want any of them to eat and enjoy the taste of eggs.
Does anyone know what could cause a hen to do this? She has never had any issues with laying before and as I mentioned I have seen no signs of egg eating from her or any of the flock.
My dog on occasion does like to "play" with this particular hen. He means her no harm (I know that she does not see it that way), but he will head her direction to instigate her to chase him, which she does. She doesn't seem to fear him at all, she runs him off and that is that. When I see it I tell him "no" and he moves on. Could she have been spooked from him that caused this weird laying habit? Keep in mind this is not the first time she and the dog have been together, both are very aware of each other and nothing like this has happened before.
My dog was out in the yard with the chickens as he often is and he too was trying to get the egg so I had to round him up to the kennel and then get the egg from the chicken, but she had eaten most of it at that point. Of course the younger hens all came over to see what was going on and some may have gotten a taste as well. I was trying my best to get the egg out of there because I didn't want any of them to eat and enjoy the taste of eggs.
Does anyone know what could cause a hen to do this? She has never had any issues with laying before and as I mentioned I have seen no signs of egg eating from her or any of the flock.
My dog on occasion does like to "play" with this particular hen. He means her no harm (I know that she does not see it that way), but he will head her direction to instigate her to chase him, which she does. She doesn't seem to fear him at all, she runs him off and that is that. When I see it I tell him "no" and he moves on. Could she have been spooked from him that caused this weird laying habit? Keep in mind this is not the first time she and the dog have been together, both are very aware of each other and nothing like this has happened before.