Which came first The Chicken or The Egg?

I need to relate this story about my chickens. Its been an interesting saga. So the chickens have not been laying eggs for a couple of months now. I chalked it up at first to winter and a molt (not exactly sure what that means)--but here the weather has been warming up and we have more daylight, so the chickens should be laying. Every day we would go out and check, and still no eggs. We started becoming suspicious--that there was some colvert (sp?) activity going on. And then one morning I look out the windown and here is one of the chickens carrying an egg in her mouth!! I raced outside, still in my nightgown, to save the egg. The hen finally dropped it after I chased her around for a while. The egg was cracked and I would have to give it to Cooper. So now we knew the chickens were laying, but that they had turned cannibalistic--yikes! What a terrible thought. Apparently it starts when they crack an egg accidentally and then when they taste the egg, they like the protein and of course the calcium in the shell--and that is part of their food from then on.

So then we decide to segregate the chickens. There were two empty stalls in the barn and we put a hen in each. That leaves 2 hens and a rooster in the chicken pen. We would find out which hens are the culprits. That went on for a few days. One of the hens in the barn even laid 2 eggs, but then stopped??? And still no other eggs in the chickens nesting kennel. (the dog kennel where we have straw for them to go in and lay their eggs) So I am getting more and more concerned about these dang chickens. Am I going to just have to kill them all and start over or what.

I think about looking on line and reading up on the subject. And sure enough--a solution. They said to use GOLF BALLS to imitate eggs. Put them in the nesting box, the hens think they are eggs, they peck at them, wanting to eat them, can't crack the shell, and they give it up. The 2nd advantage is that they think they are eggs, and they go in and sit on them thinking they are going to hatch them, which stimulates them to lay.

Will, it worked!!! Since I put the golf balls in on Monday, we have collected 5 eggs. Yeah! We hope they don't figure out which ones are golf balls and which ones are the eggs. but for right now, they haven't figured that out. Another example of the superior brain power of the chicken--right?? Or maybe makes you believe more in Chicken Run and how smart the chicken were?? Anyway--the lengths I am going to get an egg. Can you believe it. Thought you would enjoy a laugh. Love Mom

What adds more to the story is how Smudge as gotten in on this. She goes out and stalks the chickens. Maybe she has helped eat a few eggs too??