Do you think hens recognise their egg colour?

[1234chicken4321]

2 of my 3 hens went broody and now co-raise 5 chicks. All my hens are different breeds and so I can see which chick biological belongs to who. All the chicks belong to the 2 parenting hens, who both lay white eggs. However, the other hen's brown eggs were in the nest too, in fact two hatched but died what looks like just after hatching.
So, do you think the mother hens recognised the brown eggs weren't theirs?

(As an interesting side note, originally only one hen was nesting and once the second joined they spilt the eggs evenly (everyday after a certain point I took away any new eggs)).

 

[casportpony]

Interesting question. My hens don't care what color or what species the eggs are.

 

[1234chicken4321]

It could obviously be a complete coincidence, but I know garden birds can tell the difference.

 

[Kdlevesque]

I don’t think they really care but I guess it’s a possibility. My two buff Orpingtons hatched 7 Easter Egger chicks out of bright green eggs and they didn’t know the difference.

 

[black_cat]

I have a friend with a broody cochin....steals and sits on eggs from all the hens, currently trying to hatch blue, white, light brown, and dark brown. I don't think that they care.

 

[50-45-1]

Not only do they not know or care who laid what,
Mine try to hatch plastic eggs, rocks and golf balls.

 

[1234chicken4321]

I think the overall summary is that they don't care , although I suppose we will never know if they notice and don't care or just never notice...but as long as there are chicks its all good .

 

[sealer39]

I suppose it’s possible but the last time my French Black Copper Marans went broody she tried to hatch a golf ball, so probably not the case with my chickens.

 

[aart]

2 of my 3 hens went broody and now co-raise 5 chicks. All my hens are different breeds and so I can see which chick biological belongs to who. All the chicks belong to the 2 parenting hens, who both lay white eggs. However, the other hen's brown eggs were in the nest too, in fact two hatched but died what looks like just after hatching.
So, do you think the mother hens recognised the brown eggs weren't theirs?

(As an interesting side note, originally only one hen was nesting and once the second joined they spilt the eggs evenly (everyday after a certain point I took away any new eggs)).

Were there only the 2 brown eggs?
...and you propose that the hens didn't keep them warm enough to develop properly or stay alive after hatch?
Most likely a coincidence.

 

[1234chicken4321]

Were there only the 2 brown eggs?
...and you propose that the hens didn't keep them warm enough to develop properly or stay alive after hatch?
Most likely a coincidence.

No there were 3 brown eggs. I was wondering if they were disinterested in those hatching chicks because they acknowledged the different colour. But it then interested me to wonder if they noticed at all. If they can recognise different people's faces then I don't see why they couldn't recognise their egg colour, but I do now doubt that they care.