Chicken Lessons -- Part 1, The Broody Hen

The hen decided to sit on her nine eggs.

I'll mark the day on the calendar and go about my business.

She'll sit and wait. Twenty-one days of nest rest, no television, limited visits, little food and water.

She'll get up four times a day -- twice to eat and drink, twice to turn the eggs.

Since she won't be entertaining for the next three weeks, I'll blog about chicken facts.

Today's topic: The Broody Hen

Most hens have no desire to make nests and sit on their eggs. That trait, broodiness, has been mostly bred out of many breeds. When hens are sitting on their nests, they aren't laying eggs. When they are raising chicks, they aren't laying eggs.

Once man learned how to incubate chicken eggs, then a broody hen was no longer necessary.

But that trait still lingers in some breeds, including the Buckeyes. Usually we have a few broody hens every year, and, if there nest is in a good location, we let them sit and wait.

________________________________________

Have a chicken question? Ask and I'll try to answer it while waiting for chicks.