What Does It Mean When a Hen Goes Broody? (And What to Do)
Edited by Jennifer Bryant · Poultry breeder, Animal Science graduate, and Poultry Nerds Podcast co-host.
A broody hen is a hen who wants to be a mom. She'll sit on eggs, day and night, hoping to hatch chicks. It's a natural instinct, and it can happen even when there's no rooster and no fertile eggs in sight.
One day she's a normal hen. The next, she's a puffed-up, growling fluff ball who refuses to leave the nest box.
Signs Your Hen Is Broody
She stays in the nest box all day and even sleeps there at night.
She puffs up, growls, or pecks when you reach under her.
She pulls out some breast feathers to line the nest and keep eggs warm against her skin.
She takes brief breaks from the nest for a snack, drink, and one very large poop.
She stops laying eggs.
How Long Does It Last?
If she's sitting on fertile eggs, chicks should hatch in about 21 days. If there's nothing to hatch, some hens will keep sitting for weeks. Stubborn is an understatement.
Option 1: Let Her Hatch Chicks
A broody hen can be a wonderful natural incubator. She keeps eggs warm, turns them, and raises the chicks for you.
Give her fertile eggs, a quiet nest away from busy flock traffic, and food and water close by. Mark the eggs she's sitting on, so you can tell if another hen sneaks in an extra.
Option 2: Gently Change Her Mind
No rooster, or no plans for chicks? You can break the broody spell.
Collect eggs often so she has nothing to sit on.
Lift her off the nest and block the box for a few days.
Some keepers move her to a separate wire-bottom pen with food and water for a few days. Keep her safe from predators and bad weather, with feed and water always available.
Broody behavior may ease after several days, but the time it takes to start laying again varies.
Which Breeds Go Broody?
Silkies, Cochins, and Orpingtons are famous for it. Busy egg-laying breeds like Leghorns rarely bother.
Want to hatch chicks with or without a broody? Learn step by step at Incubation Masterclass.
