Measure Twice, Name the Hen Once: How to Measure a Hen on Nest Correctly

A hen on nest dish can look innocent enough until you try to identify it. Then the little glass chicken starts behaving like a suspect in an interrogation. The tail looks right, the nest looks familiar, and the color resembles something you saw online at two o’clock in the morning. Unfortunately, “looks about right” is how mismatched lids acquire impressive family histories.

Exact measurements matter because hen on nest dishes were made in many closely related forms. Collector research documents examples ranging from less than two inches to about eight inches long, with five- and seven-inch dishes historically among the most common. Those figures describe length, not official size classes. “Miniature,” “small,” and “large” are convenient collector terms, but they are not governed by the National Bureau of Glass Chickens.

As a practical guide, miniature chick salts are commonly around 2½ to 3 inches long. Smaller covered dishes frequently measure about 5 to 5½ inches, standard dishes often fall near 6½ to 7 inches, and larger examples may approach 8 inches. These ranges overlap, so size cannot identify a manufacturer by itself. Fenton, for example, produced approximately 5½-inch and 8-inch versions, while familiar Indiana Glass nests measure approximately 6½ or 7 inches depending on the rim style.

Place the dish on a flat surface and separate the lid from the base. Measure each piece along its longest dimension from outside rim to outside rim. Then measure the width across the short dimension the same way. Record the assembled height from the tabletop to the highest point, which may be the comb or tail. If you also record the overall beak-to-tail length, label it clearly so it is not confused with the rim measurement.

Why measure both pieces? Because every hen has two parts, and those parts did not necessarily leave the factory together. A lid that rocks, sits unusually high, or slides excessively may belong to another nest. Never force a lid into place. Glass remembers poor decisions, usually by making a sharp noise followed by language unsuitable for a collector-resource page.

Use a rigid ruler and record measurements to the nearest one-eighth inch. Photograph the lid, base, maker’s mark, rim profile, and ruler placement. Do not round a 6½-inch nest up to seven inches because seven sounds tidier. That missing half-inch may be the clue that separates two molds.

Measurements will not solve every identification, but they quickly eliminate bad guesses. Combine them with tail shape, nest pattern, rim treatment, glass color, and documented marks. Your hen may still refuse to confess, but at least you will have its correct dimensions.

Share your measuring methods, identification questions, unusual finds, or any other hen on nest subject you would like us to explore in the comments.

Research Sources

• National Milk Glass Collectors Society: Studying a Glass Collection
• Indiana Glass Collectors: Hen on Nest Introduction
• David Doty: Fenton Hens on Nest
• Open Salts: Hen on Nest Manufacturer Details