What does "going broody" mean

[duckidaho]

I guess I have a general idea. Hen decides to sit on eggs and hatch them. But what does she start doing? What would we do if we wanted her to hatch the eggs? We have a roo, so the assumption would be that the eggs would be fertilized.

 

[Blue_Myst]

'going broody' refers to when a hen stops laying and sets on a clutch of eggs, and guards them very..err...vigorously (let's just say that gloves are a good thing to have on hand...)

What she does is sits on the eggs. When I say sit, I mean stay on them for days on end, sometimes neglecting to eat and drink, so you're going to have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she does. You'll know broody behavior when you see it. She'll make little cooing/clucking sounds none stop, and will sit on the nest with a kind of glazed look on her face. When approached, she will blow-up to twice her normal size and growl. You can't miss it

I've never hatched eggs personally, but what I've heard is to isolate her (even a pet carrier would work; she doesn't need a whole lot of space!), and just make sure she has food and water. After twenty-one days, she'll be a momma.