This ever happened with your chickens!

[Bridgette1221]

Who says chickens aren't smart!! I went to collect eggs today and they had hidden them!!! They laid them in the normal spot but they somehow covered them with a foot of hay! They don't like me taking them and Rocky (black silkie rooster) will follow you in the house and peck at your feet for getting them. I think it was his idea to hide them!

 

[catfish/okie]

Mine has burried in hay in the nest a couple of times. I didnt know for sure if they were hiding them from me, or from each other, or one just burried the ones allready in there by accadent. One time my little new hampshire hen kinda acted upset when I gathered eggs but I think she was playing me for treats.

 

[toetoe]

I find that if I gather them and they see me do it then they hide them.
I gather the eggs when I am feeding them dinner just before they go in the hen house for the night, and I put them in my pockets or my cloth bag. This way they don't see that I have taken them and now they lay where I want them to lay..in the boxes.

 

[Karrie13]

Mine do this a time or two a week! But only in one of the nesting boxes. I have no idea why they or she does it but they seem to enjoy it!

 

[RioLindoAz]

I think sometimes their instinct pops out an d they feel they need to protect their eggs, so they hide them. My chickens used to do that in their earlier laying stages. I used to think it was normal.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

I used to have two Rhode Island Reds who would go into the nesting area when they saw me coming and sit on the eggs to try and keep me from removing them from the nest. And when I dared to remove the eggs anyway, they would cackle and fuss and give me the evil eye. They did NOT like me taking their eggs at all!


They were also my best layers.


But when I got the new batch of pullets this year, they really terrorized the new birds, and they were always fighting with the roo.


So I finally sold them to a farmer friend who only raises Rhode Island Reds. Now they live on a ten acre farm, free range during the day and sleep in an indoor coop at night.