It is fairly well documented here that the ladies know they are fake. The blue egg has been tossed out of the box and into the coop numerous times. That is why I moved the greenish one to this box to replace the blue. It is also why I checked the coop for the egg first.
If they can tuck an egg under the wing and carry it, where I found it makes sense. When released from the complex, that is the first place they go, the magnolia tree. I can see them dumping it right as they stopped their initial sprint out.
As for golf balls, I can personally tell you this is true but I believe I can explain it. When I was a young lad on the farm, my hen Speck raised thousands of meat chicks for us. Every spring she would go broody. She would start out sitting on eggs laid by our flock. My Dad did not want her hatching eggs from Rooster Cogburn and the other ladies, he wanted her to raise meat birds. So as soon as she decided to sit, I would remove the eggs and replace them with golf balls. She would set the golf balls until 3 weeks later when one night we would remove the golf balls and stuff her full of chicks.
Speck was either not a chicken mathematician or she just loved being a mom because 4 or 5 eggs would turn into 12-13 chicks. She did not care. She would raise them with pride and take care of every one of them. She never lost a chick.
So how does this relate to explaining why hens will sit on golf balls? I actually think
@MaryJanet Ivy has explained that to all of us as she is trying to hatch, nothing! What is the difference between golf balls and nothing? If you will hatch air why wouldn't you hatch golf balls.
For those of you who have never seen it (read this thread from the beginning), here is the only picture I have of myself as a young lad with my two best hens, Speck (on my right shoulder) and Brownie. Sadly I have no pictures of Rooster Cogburn.
View attachment 2353492
oh that was a good laugh!
I do believe they set each other off. If I have 1 broody I'm bound to get 1 or 2 more in quick succession.
