This might seem like a dumb question but should all fit and healthy hen birds actually breed? If their diet is spot on and they are of the right age and condition, what sort of things would stop them from breeding? Does anyone have trouble breeding with some of their hens no matter how hard they try? Are some hens stubborn or even uninterested about breeding?

Well the answer to that is yes but in reallity it is no... Working with livestock is not a text book. I pair up when the hen is coming into season and appears to be fit and active... should she breed. Yes but some times it's no.

 

She may not like the suiter I have picked for her. She may not like the surroundings or the nest box...

Well the answer to that is yes but in reallity it is no... Working with livestock is not a text book. I pair up when the hen is coming into season and appears to be fit and active... should she breed. Yes but some times it's no.

 

She may not like the suiter I have picked for her. She may not like the surroundings or the nest box...

 

I had a hen last year that was an internal layer, ie. she never produced an egg, despite mating and showing interest in the nest box plus all the signs that she wanted to lay.

 

The year before I had a hen that ate her eggs .... she went straight to the Retirement Village!

Hens in peak conditions physically to breed... doesn't always mean they are emotionally ready. Emotional and behavioral issues are major problems with hens, but many can be managed if caught early and treated right.

Edited June 7, 200915 yr by **Liv**

Animals are just like people.

Some will reproduce with any other.

Not all can reproduce despite good health.

Some can reproduce with one partner but not with another.

Some are just not interested in reproducing, or at least not with any available mates on offer, but that may change with time and the right partner, or if they are allowed to choose their own partner.

Some just can't be bothered and will eat their own eggs, not sit on them or kill their own young to avoid it.

Some hens like other hens instead of squires.

Some would rather do other things.

Sometimes the social order of the flock affects them.

The environment, seasons, moon phase, smell, unknown chemicals in their water and food can also affect them.

Some just don't want to.

List goes on.