Do they "mind" the egg gathering?

[marisaalexandra]

Does anyone know whether non-broody hens seem to "mind" our taking the eggs?
Lately, I find myself diverting their attention with a handful of seeds before grabbing the eggs out of the box.

My husband thinks I'm crazy, but it's not just hypersensitivity; I don't want the hens to think the egg boxes (or the known backup spot in a patch of ivy, for when there are four wanting to lay and two occupying the boxes) aren't a safe place to lay eggs. Could that happen?

I had a hen who used to like to invent new places to leave eggs while she was out roaming, and any time I actually encountered her in the act of laying them in her new spot, the jig would be up and she'd find another spot.

Thanks! (Also, what's the most awkward place you've ever accidentally left an egg?

I teach high school and last week I was talking to a student while swinging my coat off and onto my chair and I heard that muffled cracking sound from the front pocket as it hit the desk.... belch!! She thought it was the funniest thing that had happened to her in school so far.)

--Marisa

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Chickens certainly can be addicting! Feel free to ask away!

Bunnylady has some good advice about the combs/wattles. Otherwise, I would just suggest sticking the golf balls in there around 5 or 6 months of age. That way they will see them prior to laying! Most of the time, I find my birds will lay in the nest boxes anyway because they like to be closed in and have some privacy from the other birds.

 

[TheChickenMomma]

My current broody doesnt mind that much. I just kind of.... tip her over and grab the eggs.
Oh that probably sounds horrible.... meh.
I leave a golf ball in there to encourage egg laying in the nesting boxes. She sits on that, for now. I am actually going to let her hatch me some eggs now


Oddest place? In the bathroom.
I had just been collecting eggs, and I really had to go. I ran inside to use the bathroom, and I put a few on the counter, next to the sink. I finished and I went to go on some errands with my Mom.

My Mom found them several hours later.

Me :

Mom: Why are there eggs in the bathroom?
Me: ... Its that time of month again!

And we burst out laughing.

 

[marisaalexandra]

Ha, that's really funny.

My broody bantams are so persistent that I have to remove the wooden eggs from the nesting box along with the real ones in order to discourage them from resettling on them at night when the others are roosting.

Good luck with your hatch! I'd love to do it, but I can't cope with the roos.

--Marisa

 

[TheChickenMomma]

I am too cheap for wooden eggs. The golf ball works pretty well, and it keeps them laying in the nesting boxed

Thanks! I am probably going to give away the cockerels.

 

[Bunnylady]

I've had non-broody hens shriek in alarm and call me an egg thief when they see me raiding their favorite nest.

But then, I've had quite a few bird-brains that would eat their own eggs, so I figure it averages out.

As to awkward places to leave eggs, I often wind up "parking" eggs on top of cages in the rabbitry when I can't go straight into the house with them, and visitors sometimes spot them. I have had several children ask me, in all seriousness, "which rabbit laid that egg?" My favorite crack (pun intended) was, "Oh, so what they say about the Easter Bunny is true!"

 

[TheChickenMomma]

The Easter Bunny lives on Thats hilarious.

There are little children in my neighborhood, and they love to see my chickens! I think mine are the only chickens they see, for real....
Anyway, they freak out when I show them my green and blue eggs.




Most of my chickens will just pop up , if they are sitting on an egg. I just tell them to move, and they are just like "Oh,OK."

I think most of them are pretty used to it.

Mine don't seem to mind that much.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I don't think most chickens connect taking their eggs as stealing. Broodies get a bit more upset about it, but I still do it anyway. They get over it fairly fast.

While chickens are super smart, they are also super simple in the way they see the world. I don't think they connect you taking the eggs with the nest boxes being unsafe. Chickens have been bred tojust be egg laying machines, so many of them just lay the eggs and are done with it.

 

[lenn]

I don't understand the golf ball / wooden egg thing at all. I am NEW to the chicken world and our hens are only 7 weeks old so gathering eggs is still a ways away. Are they used to teach them where to lay eggs or to encourage them to lay eggs???

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

The golf ball is to encourage chickens to lay in nests. If they see an "egg" in a nest, they are more likely to lay their eggs in that spot. I used to use a wooden egg for the same purpose.