A broody hen is a female bird that has the desire to incubate eggs. When a hen goes broody, she will sit on a clutch of eggs for an extended period of time, allowing her body temperature to increase and often consuming less food and water than she would normally. A hen’s propensity to go broody is linked to their genetics, and some breeds are far more likely to become broody than others. Silkies are well known for their broody tendency. Broody hens can be a bit of a pain for those who want eggs only for consumption, as they can experience a slowdown of egg production, especially if they hoard eggs from the other hens and feel they have a full nest. However, a broody hen is also an easy and gentle way to add new birds to your flock, as she will bring her babies into the rest of the flock and protect them from other birds. If you want to raise chicks, then having a broody hen is perfect as they are nature’s best incubator. Signs that a hen is broody include staying in her nest all day, becoming very territorial over her nest, and pecking and trying to bite you if you try to move her. To break a hen of broodiness, you need to cool her down and put her in an environment where she cant nest.