"Hens are Birds, too" by Faith Drummond

Hens are fussy about their nests, just like any other bird. Although there are many reasons why hens stop laying, dissatisfaction with their environment is often the culprit. Many birds have strict prerequisites about nesting sites. No one thinks it unreasonable for Purple Martins to prefer a white-colored, "condo-style" house with several compartments for relatives. The Robin likes to build itself a "mud hut," whereas Tree Swallows don't build their own nests, instead preferring to occupy a woodpecker's abandoned site. When selecting a man-made house, they prefer one with an eastern, western, or southern aspect, and they abhor neighbors. Bluebirds are nit-pickers when it comes to their nesting materials: only soft grasses and fragrant pine needles will do. They prefer their house to be about 4 feet off the ground, whereas the American Kestral likes an elevated aspect from 20 feet. Swallows don't like houses at all - a nesting shelf is what keeps them happy. Bluebirds prefer a house in a sunny spot, whilst Robins prefer shade, and Wood Duck likes a house which faces water. So why should chickens be any less particular?

The Red Jungle Fowl forebearer of the domestic chicken

Photo courtesy H.S. Wong

All domestic chickens are descended from their wild ancestor, the Red Jungle Fowl. Breeding season for the Red Jungle Fowl usually occurs in the late winter or spring. The Red Jungle Fowl will typically lay about a dozen eggs, and will incubate them for 18 - 20 days. Although domestic laying hens have been bred to produce an egg almost daily, it does not detract from their broodiness. To the contrary, if a hen is allowed to lay a full clutch of about a dozen eggs, without having the eggs removed, she will usually decide to incubate them. If a healthy, happy domestic hen is left to her own devices, she will typically lay three or four clutches of eggs a year and hatch all of the eggs.

Chicken owners should consider their birds' natural wild instincts when it comes to egg laying. A hen, like any other bird, will not be looking for a place to lay your breakfast - she will be looking for a suitable place to hatch her eggs. She will leave each egg once laid, because she will want to lay about a dozen before starting to incubate them. This way all the chicks hatch on the same day. It is therefore necessary to provide hens with suitable nests for hatching, even if you remove the eggs before they accumulate. If the hen doesn't think she has a safe, comfortable, private place to hatch her chicks, she simply won't lay, or her laying may be sporadic and in different places. If left in the wild, a hen will choose a private, confined place on the ground to lay, such as beneath a big pile of brush. Remember also that when a hen is laying, she is 100% vulnerable, even more so than at night when she can't see. A laying bird is the equivalent of a woman giving birth. If a predator (which includes humans) tries to catch her while laying, she is helpless to flee. For this reason a hen will prefer to be completely obscured while laying.

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