Nesting Behaviour and Nest Site Selection of the Domestic Hen

Abstract

In the production of eggs from domestic hens housed in floor pens, the laying of eggs on the shed floor rather than in provided nests can constitute a considerable problem. Floor eggs tend to be dirty, have a reduced hatchability and are time consuming and costly to collect and clean. A number of other problems and vices are believed to be associated with the floor-laying habit. An understanding of the nesting behaviour and nest preferences of hens needs to be acquired if this problem is to be eliminated or minimised by manipulation of the hens' environment, the nesting facilities provided or the management of the hens. The extent of our current knowledge of the nesting behaviour of domestic hens and their wild relatives and of the preferences for nest sites exhibited by these birds was reviewed. In this study, experiments were conducted to establish the behavioural repertoire of nesting hens and how behaviour patterns might be affected by maturity of the hens, their social status and breed, the nesting environment and the housing environment in which the birds lived. The response of hens to a number of factors relevant to the nest, and their selection for such factors, was also investigated. The effectiveness of several of these factors in the establishment of nest usage habits in flocks of hens was then studied.