Odd behavior with fake eggs?

[kittycat1356]

Lol, sonic getting my hens ready for their first spring, I hung x-mas lights over the coop/run ( it's a dog house inside a chain link dog fence really) and bought 3 ceramic eggs to put in the dog house so they know that's where they lay. The next morning after putting the fake eggs in I had a real egg in the house. I took it and put it in my incubator, and decided to move the fake eggs out of the direct sight of the house. ( I moved them to a different corner of the dog house) and my hen went in to check it out, she made a odd noise I don't hear too often, similar to the egg song, and my big rooster went in the house and they were both looking at where the fake eggs used to be. All my chickens/roosters joined in the bok bok ruckus and my rooster sat down where the fake eggs used to be, the hen left and kept making the noise. I felt bad so when the rooster moved I put the fake eggs back in that corner and she stopped and they all went quiet again. (I showed her the eggs in the opposite corner but she looked at them real hard and went back to the other corner clucking )
My question is what's going on with her? She seemed fine as soon as I moved the eggs back, and what the heck was the rooster doing? It almost seems like he wanted to sit on eggs that weren't there, and she wasn't/isn't broody either.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Not sure what the chickens were thinking other than they might be used to seeing those eggs there, but there's no harm in simply leaving the fake eggs in the box. It might make them feel safer about laying in that spot since "those other eggs are here and just fine."

 

[azygous]

Chickens can be funny. I've had the opposite happen when my hens discover fake eggs in their favorite nest. They unceremoniously kick the fake eggs out.

Some young pullets will take the hint and lay in the nest when they see the fake eggs, while older, experienced hens will appear to be offended by them. Really, there's no predicting how your chickens will react.

As for the roo getting into the nest, that isn't so uncommon at all. It's one of the most charming behaviors roosters can have. Almost all my roosters have participated in the egg laying ritual from time to time. They like to get into the nest with the hen, fluff up the nesting material, chatter away at the hen, encouraging her in her endeavors. It's not happened in my flock, but occasionally a rooster will sit on eggs and brood chicks.