Chicken that is a bandit

[pfewless]

I just caught one of my hens stealing the egg of another hen. Is this normal? I go out 2-3 times a day to check my girls and look for eggs so they don't freeze. I just happened to catch this. She is one that has not started laying yet so I really have no clue what is up with this. Any suggestions are more than welcome.

 

[Free Feather]

She might be moving it to a place where she wants to lay, or she is amassing a clutch to set them.

 

[chooks4life]

Hens in general very rarely recognize that an egg they see is not their own egg. Basically, only some of my bantam hens have ever recognized their own eggs from other hens'.

If they see an egg, and their instincts are prompting them to exhibit protective behaviors, they will try to tuck it under them.

Sometimes you get two hens sitting next to one another, dipping their heads under one another to play hot potato with the eggs, stealing them from one another endlessly. Not ideal for brooding obviously as the continual rolling can kill the eggs.

Best wishes.