Does a hen know which eggs are hers? (Which eggs she laid herself)

[hannahsocal]

Can a hen tell which eggs SHE herself laid, or do hens only recognize an egg as an egg? If there’s a communal nest box for example, does a hen know which eggs she laid in a pile of other eggs?

 

[Isadora]

No.

 

[hannahsocal]

Well I’ve noticed that my ameraucanas tend to have a strong preference to only sit on blue eggs. One of my hens always kicks the white eggs out of the nest and onto the floor. So they MUST have some kind of idea which eggs are theirs right? Since in my experience blue layers only want to raise blue eggs and will peck any babies who don’t look like them.

 

[hannahsocal]

Anyone have any answers?

 

[FC16]

That is strange as typically chickens cannot tell, they will even try to hatch golf balls or round pebbles given the chance. Individual chickens can be different and have strange things about them, I’d say it’s either that the hen for whatever reason doesn’t like the white eggs or perhaps just a huge coincidence that she accidentally kicks out the white eggs. But it’s highly unlikely that the hen is kicking the white eggs out as she knows it isn’t hers, it will be more down to the shade of the egg is bothering her for whatever reason.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My blue layer didn't care that not a single egg she sat on was blue. All browns and whites. And so far she's proving to be just as great as my pheonixes in motherhood.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

That is strange as typically chickens cannot tell, they will even try to hatch golf balls or round pebbles given the chance. Individual chickens can be different and have strange things about them, I’d say it’s either that the hen for whatever reason doesn’t like the white eggs or perhaps just a huge coincidence that she accidentally kicks out the white eggs. But it’s highly unlikely that the hen is kicking the white eggs out as she knows it isn’t hers, it will be more down to the shade of the egg is bothering her for whatever reason.

Could also be there is something wrong with the white eggs depending on how late incubation wise they're being kicked out.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

No chickens have no clue. I just had a broody speckled Sussex try to steal newborn kittens to sit on.

 

[Isadora]

Anyone have any answers?

I already gave my opinion, lol

 

[hannahsocal]

I already gave my opinion, lol

All you said was “no” lol