How does a broody move eggs?!

[tallyho]

I gave my notoriously broody BA some eggs and she keeps moving them from one nest box to another. How does she do this without breaking them? I wish I had a video camera in the coop. Last time she she was broody and I gave her eggs she didn't move them at all but she keeps moving this batch. And she's already kicked out 2. Well, actually left them in the previous box. She just moved boxes again today and took all of them with her. Crazy bird!

 

[<3ChickenForever]

Lol! Hens have very unique ways of moving eggs! My hens do that sometimes.

 

[gumbii]

but how...?

 

[CricketYang]

Imagine not having fingers to pick things up.. lol

They put them in their "chicken armpits" and carry them over one by one, sometimes two if they're feeling brave. It's quite silly to watch.

 

[gryeyes]

Another method I have actually seen is that she leans across the egg with her head and neck, tucks her beak under the egg, pulls back and tucks the egg into her breast, then shuffles away with it (if it's a few feet away). They can even lift eggs up over the raised edges of nest boxes.

 

[gitlost80]

Very carefully.....

 

[tallyho]

She hasn't broken a one. As I said she left 2 on 2 separate occasions but she's good at kicking out non-viable eggs. I saw her do it last time too. It amazes me how she can get around the nest box dividers, and these are raised boxes!