Information: Broody hens

What is a Broody?

Adjective: (0f a hen) Wishing or inclined to incubate eggs.

Meaning that a hen, when she feels that she has sufficient eggs to hatch, will attempt to hatch the eggs. She will lose the down feathers around her breast area, which are very insulating; this way she can transfer enough heat from her body to the eggs to hatch them. Checking the brood patch is a good way to tell if the hen is definitely broody.  A broody hen is sometimes called a clocker.

Nutmeg my broody bantam hen.
Credit: birdbrain99 (Author)

Signs of a broody hen are:

• Sleeping in the nestbox instead of perching.
• Clucking when you come near.
• Sitting in the nest most of the day.
• Looking fluffed up and flat whilst on the nest.
• When placed away from the nest, will keep her wings and even tail spread out before going back to the nest.
• She may peck you if you go near to the nest, or to collect the eggs.
• Brood patch (feathers missing from breast area)

My bantam, Nutmeg, is currently broody. However, hens may not even sit on any eggs when they become broody: they may sit on golf balls, small stones, or she may not even sit on anything! Nutmeg is currently sitting on a golf ball and an old egg. I believe I stimulated her into becoming broody by keeping the golf ball in there (it was in the nestbox in the first place just to show them where to lay, and I never got round to taking it out) She must have felt she had sufficient eggs to start a nest (I believe she had two eggs and a golf ball when she started). 

In this video, I take out the golf ball from under her. She quickly moves it back under to keep it warm.      


Bantam hens can sit on about six eggs, whereas Large fowl can sit on up to 12 eggs. Bantam eggs take less time to hatch (about 18-20 days) than large fowl eggs (about 21 days).

Caring for a Broody Hen and her Eggs.

Some hens may not come off the nest much at all during the incubation period, and will lose condition whilst sitting. You should take her off the nest once or twice a day so that she can eat, drink, exercise and relieve herself (they do not like to soil the nest). She may even appreciate a dust bath.
 Don't be at all surprised if she loses condition and weight.
 If you plan on hatching eggs under her, be certain that she is very broody as she may otherwise give up halfway through. If you do plan on hatching eggs, it is recommended that you separate her from the other hens in a specially designed broody coop. This coop should have a wire floor and is rested on the soil, with bedding such as straw on top to make a comfortable nest (it is not recommended to use hay as bedding because it can carry harmful bacteria or fungi.) This allows enough moisture to reach the eggs from the soil. Another option is to sprinkle the eggs lightly with a few drops of warm water once a day (best in the evening).
 A rabbit hutch, dog crate or anything to keep her separated can work instead of a specially designed broody coop.
 To move nests, just take the eggs she was sitting on, place them in the new location,  place the hen on the new nest then keep it dark for a day or two so that she is settled once more. She should hopefully settle and stay broody. If not, then she is unlikely to be a very good mother anyway. 

If any eggs do get soiled, it is important to clean them. Use a wire brush or scourer (careful not to damage the eggs) instead of washing them (this removes the protective layer of the shell, allowing harmful bacteria to get in.)

                                             
You will need to pay particular attention for mites and lice whilst you hen is broody, because:

•  she can lose condition more quickly
•  it can irritate her, resulting in abandoning the nest
•  the mites and lice will pass on to the chicks, and can then result in death                               

To prevent this, frequently dust her with a mite or louse powder, as well as a little in the nestbox itself.

 Do not disturb her or the eggs on the last couple of days before hatching. Place a shallow dish of water and chick crumbs next to her for when the chicks hatch.

Breaking a broody.

So you don't want her to be broody? Fair enough if you don't want her to hatch eggs. In fact, despite how protective and cute she looks whilst broody, it is best to "break" her, as it's called, because she will lose condition whilst broody.Even if you do manage to break a broody, she will likely become broody again at some point.

The best way is to make her as uncomfortable as possible, really. The most frequently used method it to place her in a wire bottomed cage without bedding in a light, sheltered place raised off the ground for a couple of days. Remember to give her plenty of food and water!! Once she has been in this contraption for a couple of days, release her back with the other hens.

Remove the eggs as soon as possible (checking at least once or twice a day) to try and prevent her from going broody again. Of course, there will be cases when she goes broody even if there aren't any eggs. 

Common Breeds that go Broody.

There are some breeds that go broody more than others. These include:

• Silkie
• Wyandotte
• Sussex
• Orpington
• Pekin bantam
• Cochin
• Barred Rock
• Sumatran
• Japanese bantam
• Scots Grey
• Scots Dumpy
• Maran
• Faverolle
• Old English Game - this breed is unique in that it is the only breed in which a male may help with the rearing of -and may even take over- the brood.

Of course there are exceptions (my Sussex hens have never gone broody), but the general rule is the heavier, docile breeds are more likely to go broody, whereas the flighty, light breeds are not going to be such good broodies and mothers. If you really want a very good mother your best option is to get a Silkie. 

If you want lots of eggs, choose one of the Hybrid breeds or not such good broodies.

 Some of the not so good broodies are:

• Leghorn
• Hybrids - most hybrid breeds have had the broodiness bred out of them, to increase egg prodution.
•  Lakenvelder
• Campine
• Welsummer
• Hamburgh
• Rhode Island Red