Frequently Asked Questions

When a hen is broody, that means she wants to hatch her eggs and raise chicks. A breed known for frequent broodiness has hens that often, individually go broody. These hens may not even need eggs to set on to be broody--they may brood in a nest with no eggs. Or in a corner on rocks. Further, if there ARE eggs in the nest, if there is not a rooster in your flock, your hens will not know that their eggs won't be fertile. Your hen will seem to be in a sort of bad temper while she broods, she...

There is little more beautiful than a mother hen sheltering chicks beneath her wings. And there is little more efficient! If you have the luxury of having a broody hen to raise your chicks, you should totally take it. But there are some important things to be aware of! When you are having a broody hen raise new baby chicks that have been shipped to you, first remember that your hen has to be currently broody. If she is not broody when you try to introduce chicks to her, she may try to kill them, but she certainly won't adopt...

If she's not molting, isn't getting picked on and isn't suffering from external parasites like mites or lice, it's possible that the bare spot on her front is caused by broodiness. Broody hens often lose the feathers on their lower breasts so that their bodies can be closer to the eggs they are trying to warm and incubate. It is called a "brood patch." Silkies often go broody Since this is a hormonal condition, it is possible she will lose or pluck feathers during broodiness whether or not she actually has any eggs. If she's been broody lately and you've...

It's unlikely she'll starve, but even so, it's not unheard of for a hen to die on the nest. Remember, even when they're broody, they do get off the nest to eat and drink (often this happens at night, when you may not see it). After all, it wouldn't do momma hen or her chicks-to-be any good if she starves herself to death. But her instincts are designed so that she gets broody for about 21 days, the amount of time it takes for her eggs to hatch. However, in a backyard setting, her eggs may not even be fertile---or...

A setter is a hen who will hatch her eggs. A non-setter is a hen who will not hatch eggs. The vast majority of chicken breeds will occasionally go "broody," meaning they will set their eggs and try to hatch them. However, a "setter" usually refers to a breed (or a specific hen) that frequently goes broody. Orpingtons and cochins are setters, for instance. Buff Orpington Hen Some high production breeds like Rhode Island Reds and Leghorns seldom if ever go broody and want to set eggs. Those are non-setters. Which is best just depends on your perspective. If you...

If your hen has gone broody, that means she wants to hatch eggs. She'll puff up and stay in the nest---even if the eggs in there aren't fertile (she has no way of knowing), and even if there are no eggs in there at all. Plus, she'll stop laying eggs, because her body is telling her it's time to hatch some! "Breaking" a hen of broodiness means you shake her out of the "obsession" with the nest box, shaking out of the idea of hatching. Many hens will end broodiness on their own, but some are particularly stubborn (their hormonal...