We brought a broody hen inside. She was named Varnish - you can see pics of her as a babe elsewhere on the site but soon was renamed Pink. She is a Silver Crested Polish hen. Anyhow, Pink has gone broody, which means her body has switched into egg-hatching mode. It doesn't matter that she has no eggs to sit upon. She fluffs up to twice normal size, raises her body temperature, and refuses to leave the nest. In theory a broody hen will get off the nest once a day to get something to eat, but Pink isn't eating enough. Chicken literature is full of ways to "break" a broody hen, none of which are always successful. We are trying to change her mind by taking her off the nest, bringing her inside with us, and feeding her treats such as mealworms and corn on the cob. So far she is defiantly broody.
Chicken page 2
Chicken page 4