"False" Egg

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I work nights, I got up around 10am to go let my chickens out of the coop, and one of my pullets was in a nest box. She laid her first egg Thursday and second on Saturday. So I am thinking ok I can sit here on the roost(made of 2x4's so it can support me) and wait and collect the egg right away when she is done. So I wait about 15 minutes and she is turning and primping the nest so I went out to scratch on one of the cats. A couple minutes later she starts her egg song and comes walking down the ramp from the box and I think sweet I can get the egg and go back to bed for a few more hours. I look inside the nest box and all that is in there is the fake egg, she laid a phantom egg. I turned and said to "Betty Lu" , "Are you kidding me, you made me stay out here for nothing" When I got up for the day around 2pm I went out to look for any other eggs, I have 2 other pullets that are laying as well(out of 6 pullets total) and find nothing. Have any of you experienced this? I know new layers can be sparadic in laying, but a phantom egg?

 

[Den in Penn]

Very much yes they can sit in the nest and then sing and not have laid an egg. Hens do like to sit in the nest to rest, as well as lay in the boxes. They can sing the egg song for any little reason. They sing for others laying an egg, they sing to keep contact with the others, and they can all join in to sing together.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I have had them do it as a group when they know something is in the bushes on the next property but can't see it. But I think she thought she laid the plastic egg she was sitting on. Silly bird.

 

[thefunkylama]

My hens all sing together when one of them lays an egg, and Bluebeard pulled the phantom egg trick on me two days ago. I get the feeling she was doing it just to mimmick the veteran layer, which is pretty adorable, except that it might not be true.