Broody Hens

[Egg-Cellent Eggs]

I would really like a broody hen! But I’m not sure how to tell if a hen is broody.
Also how do you make a hen broody? Does it just happen if the hen wants chicks? Please help!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You can't make a hen go broody. The hormones will flow giving them the desire to raise a family or they won't.
A truly broody hen will stay in a nest around the clock whether there are eggs or not. If you disturb her she'll get cranky and probably peck at you.
Some breeds tend toward broodiness and most others have had that trait bred out of them but any chicken can start setting. What breeds do you have and how old are they?
One option which rarely works but can. Make the nest as comfortable and dark as possible and put a bunch of fake eggs in it.

Referencing the second option in your poll, if you have a broody you don't have take care of chicks, the hen does that.

 

[aart]

Surprised that in 3-4 years you haven't had a broody.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/introducing-me.1336962/

These are my go to signs:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.