Do chickens carry eggs?

[blackjava]

I have had my suspicions before, but yesterday i found two muddy eggs in a nice clean nest inside the coop. so I am sure they were laid outside in the run.

 

[my sunwolf]

Sometimes chickens will tromp around in the yard, and then come into the nice clean nestboxes to lay in egg. In the process of shifting around in there after the egg is laid, they'll muddy the egg. This has happened to me many, many times...

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

I agree with mysunwolf, the hen that laid the egg probably just had mud on her feet, and got it on the egg. They can use their beaks to roll eggs around, but unless your nest boxes are at ground level they couldn't get them in a nest box. I actually have had my Jersey Giant roll 8 eggs out of the nest boxes (which are a good two feet above the ground, and even though there's plenty of straw underneath it's a wonder they all didn't shatter.....), 20 feet UPHILL, and under the porch. Then she sat on them and hatched 7 beautiful, healthy little chicks. So it's possible for them to move eggs around, but I highly doubt that your hens laid an egg in the run then moved it into a nesting box...............

~~Ms. B