Hide-and-Seek

Patience proves paramount when author Tove Danovich's feisty flock of backyard hens sends her on an unconventional egg hunt.

Spring had arrived, and I was engaged in a battle of wits against my chickens. Worst of all: The chickens were winning. Rather than laying eggs in their nest box-the clean, cozy nest box I lovingly filled with fresh straw each week-my hens were disappearing into my Oregon backyard to do the deed in secret. No matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find the chickens until after they hid their treasure. Which meant I couldn't find "my" eggs at all.

Hiding eggs is a trait my flock inherited from their ancestors. In the wild, the safest nest is the best-concealed nest, yet I was still surprised that my domesticated cluckers would connect to their untamed roots like this. I felt betrayed. I'd given them a beautiful coop and a garden filled with warm places to sunbathe and shade for rest. Why wasn't what I provided good enough?