Will my chickens "hatch" their own eggs?

[eddie's reservation]

I dont understand why my chickens dont stay on their nest? I thought chickens hatch their own eggs. What am I missing??

 

[CMV]

Chickens lay eggs, but do not necessarily hatch eggs. Usually a hen needs to go broody in order to sit on a nest long enough to hatch eggs. Unfortunately, during a hen's broody period she will usually not lay any more eggs for several weeks. This is a trait that is not highly sought after, so it is a trait that has been bred out over time. Incubators are used to hatch eggs if there is no broody hen around. Certain breeds are known to go broody (ie. silkies) frequently, but there are other breeds that are known to never go broody. I have added a link to a chart comparing different breeds. In it is a reference to the likelihood of brooding. Find your hens' breeds and see if they are likely to go broody.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

Good luck.