Do Chickens Get Sad When You Take Their Eggs?

The simplest answer to this is ‘no’. Laying eggs is as instinctive to hens as perching and scratching. It’s something they need to do, but they are not doing it with thoughts of hatching chicks, and will leave their egg as soon as it has been laid. This means you can take it without worrying about hurting your hen’s feelings!

No regrets - hens don't mind if you do this to their eggs

Broody hens are slightly different - they have a sudden and strong instinct to sit and hatch eggs. There are ways of discouraging broodiness - see the Broody Chickens section of our Common Chicken Problems page, here - but even a broody hen doesn’t get sad about specific eggs being taken away.