Adrian, Correct me if I am wrong, here. But the way I understand it is that a hen only has to mate once. She may mate more than that, but once is all that is necessary. She will feed and roost with the rest of her girlfriends, but she will slip away from the tending tom daily to lay 1 egg. She doesn't set on the nest until her whole clutch is laid. That way, the whole clutch hatches at the same time. If the eggs freeze, she will break them and start over.

If there is any false lore in that, please correct me. I want to get it straight, too.