My hen started laying eggs in my kid's old toy dump truck

Bertha, my Barred Rock, decided the sandbox was her new favorite spot about two weeks ago. I kept finding her sitting in this bright yellow plastic truck, and sure enough, there was an egg in the bed every single morning. I tried moving her back to the nesting boxes filled with straw, but she just marched right back to her truck. Finally, I just put a handful of pine shavings in the dump truck bed and called it good. Now we collect eggs from a Tonka, and she hasn't missed a day. Has anyone else had a chicken pick a nesting spot this ridiculous?

3 comments

3 Comments

simonl862mo ago

Sounds like you're just rewarding bad chicken behavior.

jakep242mo ago

Wait, what exactly is "bad chicken behavior" in your book?

iris_burns11d ago

You're just rewarding bad chicken behavior" - @simonl86, have you ever tried arguing with a determined hen about where she wants to lay? I can't believe you think a chicken cares about being "bad." She found a warm, safe spot with toys nearby. That's a win in her book.