1
a
: a female chicken especially over a year old
broadly
: a female bird
b
: the female of various mostly aquatic animals (such as lobsters or fish)
2
: woman
especially
: a fussy middle-aged woman
Examples of hen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The average hen produces around 250 eggs a year, according to the Intermountain Farmers Association.
—
Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Cal-Maine, the largest producer and distributor of eggs in the U.S., said Tuesday that one of its facilities in Texas tested positive for the virus, leading to the culling of 1.6 million laying hens — approximately 3.6% of its total flock.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
His go to decoy setup is a Dave Smith Decoys full-strut jake with a couple hens.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 3 Apr. 2024
Personnel at the company killed about 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 young hens to curb the spread of the virus.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Occurring at a company facility in Palmer County, positive tests for pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) resulted in the slaughter of nearly two million chickens, including 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets, or young hens.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Some wildlife scientists believe that the now-infamous decline is being spurred on by seasons that start too early in the Spring, when Toms are still breeding hens that haven’t begun to incubate their eggs.
—Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024
California voters overwhelmingly approved two statewide ballots in 2008 and 2018 that addressed animal confinement, establishing minimum space requirements for a variety of livestock, including egg-laying hens, veal calves and pigs.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Cal-Maine is killing nearly 2 million hens, around 4% of its population, and destroying millions more eggs in order to contain the virus.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Cal-Maine, the largest producer and distributor of eggs in the U.S., said Tuesday that one of its facilities in Texas tested positive for the virus, leading to the culling of 1.6 million laying hens — approximately 3.6% of its total flock.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
His go to decoy setup is a Dave Smith Decoys full-strut jake with a couple hens.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 3 Apr. 2024
Personnel at the company killed about 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 young hens to curb the spread of the virus.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Occurring at a company facility in Palmer County, positive tests for pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) resulted in the slaughter of nearly two million chickens, including 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets, or young hens.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Some wildlife scientists believe that the now-infamous decline is being spurred on by seasons that start too early in the Spring, when Toms are still breeding hens that haven’t begun to incubate their eggs.
—Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024
California voters overwhelmingly approved two statewide ballots in 2008 and 2018 that addressed animal confinement, establishing minimum space requirements for a variety of livestock, including egg-laying hens, veal calves and pigs.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Cal-Maine is killing nearly 2 million hens, around 4% of its population, and destroying millions more eggs in order to contain the virus.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Hen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hen. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hen
noun1
: a female chicken especially over a year old
2
: a female of any bird
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