Burrying eggs??

Date sort Score sort
S

Sihschris

In the Brooder
Mar 28, 2025
12
43
38
HI all

We've had a pretty warm March and hope to continue into April. I'm on the SE USA.

I have noticed the last few weeks, my 2 white leghorn's weren't laying. So, I inspected them a few times, nothing looked injured, no pasty butt, they were running around like normal (they're in a run, so it should be easy to find hidden eggs)

This morning I went out to feed them and found one of the leghorn's digging up eggs that were starting to hatch. I've never had a chicken bury eggs, much less to incubate them.


What do I do with the ones that don't hatch? I have no idea what day they are at so I'm almost afraid to put them in the incubator

Since no one was broody, do I need to take the chicks?

Thanks
 
Sounds like your Leghorns are getting a bit creative with their instincts! Chickens can sometimes surprise us with behaviors like burying eggs and trying to incubate them. Friend of mine had one of his leggies do the same. (A leghorn thing?) Since you’re not sure what day the eggs are at, it might be tricky to know if they’re viable, but it’s worth trying to carefully check the eggs for development. You can candle them (shine a light through the shell in a dark room) to see if you can spot any signs of growth or movement. As for the chicks, if you’re worried about them hatching under the hens, it’s usually safe to let them try, but if they haven’t fully committed to being broody, you might need to help them along with an incubator if things seem off.

Don’t hesitate to separate the eggs if you think they’ll be more successful in a controlled environment. Keep an eye on the hens, though, and make sure they’re doing well!
 
Jeff_Stone said:
Sounds like your Leghorns are getting a bit creative with their instincts! Chickens can sometimes surprise us with behaviors like burying eggs and trying to incubate them. Friend of mine had one of his leggies do the same. (A leghorn thing?) Since you’re not sure what day the eggs are at, it might be tricky to know if they’re viable, but it’s worth trying to carefully check the eggs for development. You can candle them (shine a light through the shell in a dark room) to see if you can spot any signs of growth or movement. As for the chicks, if you’re worried about them hatching under the hens, it’s usually safe to let them try, but if they haven’t fully committed to being broody, you might need to help them along with an incubator if things seem off.

Don’t hesitate to separate the eggs if you think they’ll be more successful in a controlled environment. Keep an eye on the hens, though, and make sure they’re doing well!
Click to expand...
I have brought the chicks inside, the hens were pecking them. They're in the incubator since they're still wet. I have never seen this in my life. My dad, raised chickens for 70 years now, said they will bury their eggs if they think the roosters will eat them. But he's never heard of any hatching in the dirt. Weird weird weird
I almost wonder if they were digging to lay another egg in the nest and the babies were hatching? How did they hatch tho? The temps here have only been in the 70's so you wouldn't think the ground would be over like 80'ish in the sun. SOmeone had to have been sitting on them right?
 

Similar threads

Z
    • Like
egg eating by color
2
Replies
14
Views
869
BigBlueHen53
BigBlueHen53
N
NOT laying eggs?
Replies
8
Views
244
PVILLAGO
PVILLAGO
B
4 hens a month in 1/4 is laying. Help?
Replies
5
Views
293
GodLovesU
GodLovesU
J
Ill or egg bound?
Replies
5
Views
261
Mrs. K
Mrs. K
M
scared chicken
Replies
6
Views
563
DLA
DLA

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom