# Is my hen a true hen or some sort of mistake?



## hobbitgrannytoad (Jul 27, 2012)

I have a hen that is not laying eggs. She is 11 months old now. The other hens that I got at the same time are laying and are constantly being covered by the roosters. The roosters don't bother her. She is definitely not a rooster. Does anyone know what's up with this?
Thanks!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sometimes it happens that one never lays or is very late in laying. You're more likely to see that in highly bred birds.


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## LittleWings (Jul 15, 2013)

It can be genetic also. I would not use her for breeding. Its the same with late hatchers. That can also be genetic and they should not be bred forward. Culling is an important part of keeping your flock healthy and productive.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I have to argue the statement about late hatchers. 99.9% of the time that had to do more with uneven incubation than the chick not developing normally.

There are other arguments for using the hen for breeding, if it ever starts to lay. Characteristics. For people that are breeding to standard if the over all hen is very good then using her for breeding can further a breeding program.


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## hobbitgrannytoad (Jul 27, 2012)

*hopeful*

Thank you for the reply's. I will hold out to see if she starts laying. Wouldn't it be great if she would just go broody and hatch some of the other hen's eggs. Maybe her "gift" is mothering.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Very low chance of that happening if she never lays. If she doesn't lay that means she is not producing the hormones necessary for egg laying and broodiness.


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## hobbitgrannytoad (Jul 27, 2012)

Thank you Robin416. That makes sense. That would also explain why the roosters leave her completely alone, right? I guess she'll just make her contribution as a tick eater.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I had one some years ago that didn't begin to lay until she was a year old. Everything about her was awesome so I kept her to see what would happen. She did begin to lay but very sporadically, never went broody and quit laying very early. 

She lived with a rooster who also was not all that interested in breeding. I never did get any chicks from her more because that's about the same time I decided to get out of breeding. I still have the rooster since he didn't want to breed. (I kept my old non producing birds) I gave her away to someone who wanted a pet.


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## LittleWings (Jul 15, 2013)

Most of the time late hatching is due to low temps. But when you hatch 36 eggs and one hatches a day or two later than the others, that can be genetic and IMO that chick should not be bred forward. Not saying to kill it, just dont breed it. The same with hens that lay smaller eggs than they should, or don't lay often enough. 
This is for a productive laying flock. Breeding for show is different. Late hatchers, small eggs and low egg production probably won't be on the top of the cull list. 
A hatchery doesn't wait around for late hatchers to hatch. They are culled. The temp wasn't different for those eggs, it was the chick. If it was bred forward, it could pass on that trait to it's offspring.
It makes a difference if your chickens are pets or livestock. If its a pet, it really doesn't matter about production. IMO


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

And this is why we all have to be careful about what we say because not all of us raise them for the same reasons. Sometimes I forget but I do try to remember some raise them for food, others for enjoyment/pets, and still others raise them to a standard set out by the APA or ABA.


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## LittleWings (Jul 15, 2013)

Not sure what I said, that was wrong. The OP was expressing concern that their hen wasn't laying after 11 mos when the rest of the hens had started. They also have a rooster so I assume they want to hatch some and IMO a chicken that is for eggs and doesn't start laying for a year should not be bred forward. It obviously has issues. 
Culling is very important in maintaining a healthy and productive flock. It's just reality.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Not saying you said anything wrong. What I am saying is that not all of us raise these guys for the same reason. Your breeding program and the outcomes you want are totally different from mine. We all need to remember that we have different priorities. 

I generally stay away from questions regarding raising them for food because I don't know what it takes to have a successful flock and breeding program when that is the purpose. That's for folks like you that do raise them for that purpose to do. 

I do know what it takes to have them as pets or breeding according to the APA/ABA standards.


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## LittleWings (Jul 15, 2013)

I understand what you are saying. I raise them for all 4 reasons. I have meat chickens, egg chickens and show chickens. I even have a pet chicken. A Silkie that is just for the grandkids to enjoy.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Phew, glad we cleared that up.


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