I have an 18mth old hen who looks ready to breed but stays in thne nest box all the time.Ive tried taking the nestbox off for a week to make sure she mates but as soon as I return the nest the same thing happens. The cock has breed well before.Any suggestions?

How old is the hen?

Has she ever bred and raised a clutch before?

Is she in breeding condition?

I wouldn't worry to much, it might look like she doesn't leave the nest but they do and sometimes you would think they don't mate but they also do that.

Just leave her and see what happens, I have some hens the same but all works out well in the end. :sad: Good Luck

I agree with Splat. I mistakenly thought one of my hens was always in the nest (with her partner) and that they saw it as a hiding place, rather than a nest. So I blocked off the nestbox for a couple of days. That turned out to be a mistake. The very afternoon that I unblocked the nest she laid an egg.... on the floor of the cabinet. She did this three times and each time I picked up the egg and put it in the nest before she got the idea. It was my fault though, not hers, as she didn't trust that the nest was a safe place any more.

 

 

Feathers.

What some breeders do is remove the box for 1/2 to an hour in the mornings so the male can mate with the hen and then return the box.

With cabinet breeding you get that. They seem to feel intimidated at being seen by you in the cage and use the box as a safe haven. I've got quite a few hens I used to aviary breed that are like that. They all have eggs now, one pair has already started hatching theirs and the rest of the cages are due any day.

 

If she feels "safe" in there, that is good. They do come out to eat, drink and be merry but not while your watching

 

 

Good luck and have patience ...

KathyW.