Don’t mess with this chick!!
This was my first experience with a broody hen. Goldie is a Buff Orpington breed, and unlike the Rhode Island Red hens, she has not had this trait bred out of her.
The hormones kicked in and she decided she wanted to hatch her eggs, along with everyone else’s. Her body went through some changes, and she started to look like a porcupine. Biologically, this raised her body temperature, increasing the likelihood of the eggs hatching (except for the fact that they were not fertilized, and I wanted to eat them!). Then she lost feathers on her backside, so that her body heat was directly warming the eggs. She wouldn’t get off the nest for days on end. Just once a day to have a drink, some food and to deposit the biggest dropping I’ve ever seen in my life (not pictured here). During this time, a hen does not lay eggs, does not dust bathe, and barely eats. I was able to break the cycle by locking her out of the nest. Within 2 days she was back to her old productive self. Oddly, during this time, she sounded more like a duck than a chicken. This was the first time my neighbours could clearly hear the hens. Once I explained to them that she was going through a difficult time, they understand and waited for it to pass.