A broody hen is one whose instinct to hatch eggs has switched on. She wants to sit on a clutch around the clock until it hatches — whether or not the eggs are even fertile.
Signs your hen is broody
- She stays planted in the nest box all day and night.
- She puffs up, growls, or pecks when you reach under her.
- Her comb may pale, and she stops laying.
- She flattens out over the eggs and plucks her own breast feathers.
It’s driven by hormones and daylight — some hens go broody every spring, others never do.
If you DON’T want chicks
A broody hen stops laying and can lose condition, so many keepers “break” the broodiness:
- Remove eggs promptly, several times a day.
- Cool her underside — a wire-bottom “broody breaker” cage with food and water (no bedding to nest in) for a few days works best.
- Block off the favorite nest box.
If you DO want chicks
A broody hen is the easiest, most natural incubator there is:
- Slip fertile eggs under her (you’ll need a rooster, or buy hatching eggs).
- She’ll turn, warm, and humidify them, then raise the chicks herself.
- Chicks hatch in about 21 days — see incubating chicken eggs for the timeline.
Breeds that go broody most
If you want natural mothers, look at Silkie, Cochin, Brahma, and Buff Orpington. Production layers like Leghorn rarely go broody. Filter by broodiness in the Breed Finder.