Do you let them see you STEALING their eggs?

[foweler]

Even though I'm approaching the coop with a severe case of the exited puppy wiggles when I go to get the eggs I hide them under my shirt as I carry them by the girls out of guilt.

I think they're on to me!

I don't want to be pecked to death in my sleep. Does anyone else hide the eggs from the chickens as they collect them?

 

[The Zoo]

Nope - my girls are never in the nest when I go collect them. They're out freeranging the backyard. I don't think they really know what eggs are actually - they have no interest in them (thank goodness!).

 

[cozycritters]

We would take the eggs only when the hens didn't see us-- not really on purpose, but just to simplify. BUT, my sons pull the eggs right out from under my MILs hens and they are fine with it. Some of them actually try to get pets and cuddles at the same time

Same hens let my kids watch them in the process of laying. Ours always gave us the snake eye if we saw them in the box.

Can you tell which ones were handled as babies??? Ours were bought at a feed store half-grown

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Ditto.

 

[gritsar]

Most of the time my girls are not on the nests when I go out there to collect.
However walking back to the house I do hide the eggs, but not out of guilt.
I hide them because the girls all come running expecting me to give them whatever those things are that I have in my hands as treats.

 

[foweler]

I should have clarified that I wait until they have sung any songs and left the coop before I sneak in and commit grand larceny. But they are watching me as I reach into the coop. Oh God...I don't want to die

 

[Eggs4Sale]

I heard about a woman that was smothered by an angry white cochin after taking her eggs. Or was it that the woman was smothered by a feather pillow? Same thing, right?

Just kidding....
My daughter goes and lifts the hens up out of their nests and takes their eggs, lifts the egg in the air (and her hands are small, so the egg is visible), and yells "Thank you for the egg!" When I try it, I feel so guilty because they give me that look, so I hide the eggs and slink out. I'm not worried about them getting me in the middle of the night, though. Have you seen them in the darkness? It reminds me of when the power goes out in the middle of the night and it's pitch black and I'm feeling around for something, anything. (We live in the county, so it gets VERY dark.) I'd have a hard time going outside at that time to find a chicken and sit on them. I know because I've tried.

 

[krazycow6]

We always take the eggs with the hens watching. They dont care.

 

[For-The-Love-Of-Chickens]

Well, I never gave it much thought until NOW! Maybe that's what all the cackling and toe biting are about when I go to the coop?!?!? (Or maybe I shouldn't wear my flip-flops with glittery toe polish?!?!)

 

[lovinlife]

Quote:
LOL! Yep, mine try to eat my toe rings.

I won't take eggs out from under a hen that's laying, but I will take them if the girls are still in the coop when I let them out for the afternoon. I've never had one ask me to please leave her eggs in the nest, so I just take them.