We've got a broody hen! | Blogs

We are so excited to report that we've got a hen that has gone broody!  What this means is that her mothering instincts have kicked in and she is nesting even though she doesn't  really have any eggs to sit on.  A broody hen will sit and sit all day long in one place only moving occaisionally drink and eat and then it's right back to the nest.  During this time she will not lay any eggs.  This is not necessarily desirable if egg production is your goal and so most hatcheries attempt to breed "broodiness" out of their chics.  Every now and then however the instinct seems to slip through!  Actually I think it is kind of exciting!  If I had fertile eggs we could hatch out chics!  One needs a rooster for fertile eggs but my neighor has a rooster and therefore fertile eggs.  The interesting thing is that a broody hen will accept eggs that do not come from her.  She will faithfully raise the chics as if they were her own.  In fact chickens will raise ducklings too even though they are a different species!  Fascinating!