I feel so HORRIBLE!

[Chicks & Turks]

So Madeline my BC maran laid her first egg this morning around 11. WOOT First egg yay. Well, when I saw it she was still sitting on it, I figured to let her sit on it until she decided to hop off and go one. I just went out at 5:30 and she was STILL ON IT. I asked my mom if she'd been in the run today and mom said NO she checked and she was on the egg at 3. So this girly was sitting on her egg I'm guessing all day. Mona laid below the roost today, which is TOTAllY not her, so that means Maddy was still in the box when Mona had to lay. So I went out and I said well dang, and just took her egg. She clucked/growled at me. I just stole her first egg!

Any body else feel like a thief

 

[newchik715]

awww....how sad....but why feel like a thief...they are your eggs! Give her a fake one....

 

[MonkeyZero]

Yes I do!
My hen laid in the middle of her coop.
After she laid she hopped right off.
I grabbed it, took a pic and put it in the fridge
The 2 were staring at the egg and me, astonished I stole....
I did it for a good cause lol
Plus what if they try to eat the eggs....

 

[Nemo]

I don't feel like a thief, but every once in a great while, my chooks think I am and attack me while I'm collecting eggs. They come over and peck at my ankles. I've learned to dump a scoop of food into the feeder to distract them.

Maddy might have been tired from laying her first egg. The standard suggestion is to have one nestbox per four chickens, but I usually say to have at least two, or even three if you have room. That way, if you get one who decided to hang out in the only box, the others don't have to climb on top of her or lay outside the box.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

No, I don't feel like I steal my eggs!! These eggs have cost me thousands of $$ and I feel very blessed to get them! My dear husband thought I had bought 'duds',since the first egg didn't come until my girls were 24+ weeks old!!

 

[fordmommy]

No, I don't feel like a thief. My girls give their eggs up willingly. I usaually am home or even in the coop when they lay. I just reach in and take them when they are still in the nesting box. I always thank them and tell them "Good girl."


I actually wasn't home one time when my BA laid one. When I went out to check on them, she saw me coming and started bawk, bawk, bawking. I thought something was seriously wrong. She was pacing at the fence. I asked her what was wrong and she ran into the coop. I followed her in and she hopped up to the nesting boxes and continued to bawk. I looked and found her egg. I told her "Good job, Big!'"(Big Bertha is her name.) She staopped bawking when I finally took the egg. I think she'e proud that she lays eggs for me.

 

[b.hromada]

Yeah, sometimes I feel like a theif. I just feel sorry for them, especially if my Japanese Bantam goes broody, and sits on all the girls eggs! When I take her off the eggs, she is not happy with me! I just feel bad for her. I know, thats nutts, but I do.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Treats after eggs are laid are a great distraction!

Also, leaving a couple fakes (i blew out and cleaned real egg shells) will help her not to miss the real one.

 

[Maryallison]

Do like the other member said and give her a fake egg.

I used to love collecting eggs when I had chickens before. (currently waiting on my flock to get to laying age) It is always like seeing if I won the lotto and how many times! I never felt bad about taking them! I was too excited to feel bad!

 

[kidd42]

Our girls started laying about 6 weeks ago. My wife has only collected the eggs once. She said that she felt guilty taking their eggs. Now I always go out to the coop to collect them, and I always tell the girls "Nice job".