Our Broody Hen

Each day our broody hen appears to get wider and wider as in stretching to cover all of the eggs in her nest, she flattens out her body. Rarely does she leave the growing clutch of eggs. Perhaps once a day she'll venture out for a bit of fresh air and sunshine. Once I've even seen two hens sitting together upon the nest, but usually it's just the same black hen.

She appears to have weathered some pecking, too. Perhaps this was done by maurading Guinea Hens; I cannot be sure. The Guinea Hens routinely enter the chicken coop / dog pen and peck away at the laying mash in the galvanized trough. On one occasion I witnessed the broody hen actively chasing one of the Guinea Hens from the coop, but for the most part she just sits and broods, incubating what must be two dozen smooth brown eggs beneath the feathered bulk of her body.