hidden nest

Chickens are so funny like that. Back at the animal sanctuary we had one hen who would always try hiding her eggs in the horses' hay mangers.

You holding out on me?
*cluck*
I SAID ARE YOU HOLDING OUT ON ME?
*cluck!*

I imagine they're inedible now that they've been sitting out and getting hot/cold/hot/cold for days?

yeah i took the one she laid today and we are throwing the rest out. what a little brat tho!

why would they be bad?. . . i mean eggs stay good when they're unrefridgerated with a chicken butt keeping them warm, so why would cold and warm weather make them go bad?. . .

i mean you know waaay more about raising chickens than me (who knows nothing), but it seems like since eggs are in a hermetically sealed container and, contrary to what most americans think, don't need to be stored in a fridge, those eggs might still be okay. . .

salmonella. plus she hasnt been sitting them the whole day for the past few weeks since it has been rainy, which COULD hold them better since it's been pretty cold but I don't want to take the risk.

mmmm. . . salmonella. . . it's like vanilla but with salmon. . .

So whadda ya do with 14 eggs that have been there for who knows how long? If mama chicken hasn't been sitting on them the whole time they won't hatch, right?

we are taking the egg from today and throwing the rest out. I am not sure if these would hatch even if she sat them because our rooster is a Wyandotte and the hen laying is a Polish which is a Bantam chicken.

Do they get upset when you take them?

Yeah if she sees me take them she will get upset and walk around the yard crying for them. I left her some of the older eggs and only took the fresh one today. Later tonite after they go in the coop I will dispose of the rest. Chickens don't have much of a memory so by tomorrow she will be ready to lay more.

That's kind of sad. I know it's the whole circle of life thing but still...

Do you ever let them inside?

yeah they come inside all the time. During the day I usually leave one door open to cool the house. The chickens just walk right up, hop inside, and come looking for me. They know if their food dish is empty and they come inside and squawk I will notice and refill it.

it makes me sad when she cries too. usually i bait and switch with a rock or gather them before or after the chickens come out.

That's extremely cute.

man, just upset? i tried to help my cousin out & get the eggs out of their coop & one hen basically FLEW AT MY FACE & chased me. chickens are scary.

yeah if you are small or unfamiliar they will come at you. i hand raised these chickens from eggs tho and they are too smart to do anything but be submissive. Overwise i turn them over in my hands and pet their belly and chickens HATE that.

dude, i love that. guess i'm no chiken.

you know the chicken is all "please hep please!. . . please don't eat my babies!". . .

deeelishusss babeeez

Also, a friend of mine in Virginia and his partner have been raising birds for about 6-7 months now. They started with 3-4 of several different variety of chicken (bantams and two other breeds), then got more, then upgraded to some turkeys and finally a few geese to scare away a weasel they'd been having problems with.

He just got his first goose eggs on Sunday and ate them for breakfast. His bird picsposts are always amazing.

Sadly they had to "start over" about 2 months ago because their 8 year old dog, who they gave a month of intense training to to do deal w/ the birds (completely in vain, mind you), got into the pen and there was a complete massacre. They finally had to invest a good amount of money to build a Bird Fortress since they aren't getting rid of the dog (and the birds are for food). They say its a really satisfying thing to do.