Choice of social conditions by laying hens

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Abstract
1. To test the preferences of hens for particular social conditions when laying, they were provided with choices of nest‐sites varying in seclusion. Three experimental conditions were used. 2. In Experiment 1, nest‐site selection by members of a group of light hybrids was studied in a complex pen‐system. Eggs were clumped in distribution ; only one individual laid in the most secluded part of the system. 3. Experiment 2 provided light hybrids with an extensive outdoor area, but similarly clumped laying was observed; there was no indication that hens attempted to find concealment for nesting. 4. In Experiment 3, hens from a group of light hybrids just coming into lay and from a group of mature medium hybrids were tested singly, in an area that included a cage containing some of their flockmates. Most subjects from both groups laid near the other birds rather than in isolation. 5. In semi‐intensive conditions, the majority of hens are apparently gregarious rather than solitary in their nesting behaviour.