Somebody think of the children!

Image from Stock Exchange

This is probably not bizarre or weird behaviour from the hen's pov, but I thought I would share it anyway because I couldn't believe how much of a duh! moment it gave me when it dawned on me why my chook did what she did, this morning.

I went to get the eggs and then noticed one of the chooks was acting a bit strangely. So...

I set the two eggs I was carrying down on the floor of the coop and went to pick up the chook in question, forgetting about the eggs as I examined her. After satisfying myself that the chook was healthy, I put her down and turned around to notice Rosie standing over the two eggs kind of half crouched, actually, making little cooing noises and trying to tuck one of the eggs underneath herself by pushing it with her beak. I went over to her and reached for the eggs. She stepped aside quickly but made a snippy little Brrrrk! noise at me as I picked up the eggs and carried them outside the coop.

Not my chook. Same breed, though.

It didn't occur to me, until I was almost at the house, that of course! DUH! Those eggs represent a huge investment to the chicken and the egg she had been trying to tuck under herself was actually HER egg!  It was her way of trying to protect her 'baby.'

I tend to forget, that eggs are more than just a yummy snack for me. They're the chooks' investment in the future.