AS a poultry keeper there are always the times when you desperately need a broody hen, but on the other hand there is also the time when the broody can become just a problem. There are some birds that will never stop being broody and make no attempt to lead a normal life.

Most people who keep chickens will tend to imagine that a hen is broody when she sits on the nest for a prolonged length of time. This can be very deceiving and in most cases the hen is not broody or in fact has no intention of becoming broody. The birds can occupy the nest for a long period, maybe just for comfort and peace and quiet - who knows?

The way to decide whether the bird is definitely in a broody state is to watch her reactions. If she clings to the nest and is placid and contented when the other birds are feeding, making no effort to join them, then this is a sign, because if she was not broody she would be up and feeding with the others in the flock. If she does not move she will be sitting really tight, usually on several eggs in the nest which will include some laid by the other birds in the coup. Sitting tight means that she will sit very flat, wings outstretched and her body spread out across the nest, but when she is moved from the nest and placed on fresh ground she will stay in the same position just as you have left her and she will not make any attempt to move. When she is sitting tight on the nest there is a good chance that she will ruffle the feathers and peck at the intruder as if for defence. If you actually move her from the nest she will cackle in annoyance over what you have done. The main outward sign of broodiness is a loss of feathers along the breast which give quite a bald appearance to the underside of the bird - these feathers are normally used to line the inside of the nest.

When you are running a flock for eggs it is important that the supply of eggs is kept to a maximum and when the hen goes into a broody state the internal production organs tend to dry out slightly and the longer the bird is left in this condition the longer it takes for the bird to return to its normal laying state.

To stop unwanted broodiness can in some cases be almost impossible. Some birds just need the slightest excuse and will stop laying for most of the season. These birds are really not a lot of use to the egg producer but are easily sold on to other poultry keepers who will be delighted to use them for natural incubation.

There are certain aspects which can create this situation and these are housing birds in confined areas, feeding feed containing high heat ingredients, lack of drinking water, and the infrequent collection of the eggs - this alone will encourage sitting. Also some breeds are much broodier than others such as Silkies. Modern hybrids are not supposed to go broody though they occasionally do, probably for the reasons above.

Most hens stay in the broody state for about a month or slightly longer and the best way is to stop the problem as soon as it starts so be vigilant. The best method is to separate the bird from the other inhabitants and move her into a pen or coop with a wire or slatted floor. I have heard of wetting the birds and some other rather unsavoury ways of stopping the process but the best way is to pen the bird where she cannot get into a comfortable position to create a nest, hence the slatted or mesh floor. This does not mean make the bird uncomfortable but just stops her nesting.

When you require the hen to sit and raise some chicks then you need to make sure that she has a comfortable place to occupy, the nest box needs to be clean and dusted for lice and mite, and the hen will prefer somewhere which is dark and quiet. The ideal way is to provide a broody coup which has a small unit built in with room for her to sit in a dry, draught free environment but has an outside run for exercise and feeding and drinking. The broody coup has been used for many years as after hatching the mother hen can be left to rear her own chicks in safety and comfort.

Always make sure that there is no direct problem caused by the weather such as direct sunlight or the very cold conditions and rain which we seem to get our fair share of here in the UK.

It is very important and cannot be stressed enough as to the necessity for keeping the hens and boxes well treated for all types of insects. Powder both the bird and the box and check on a regular basis.

There are certain breeds which are very suitable to use as broody but I think the most popular has to be the Silkie/Sussex cross which are amazing broodies. There are several people in the poultry fancy who specialise in breeding these cross bred birds purely for the purpose of being good sitters but there are also many other standard breeds such as the Rhode Island Red, Welsummer, Orpington and Sussex all of which can tend to go broody naturally.

There are on the other hand several breeds which are classed as non-sitters. These include the Poland, Hamburg and several others who will start to sit and then walk away half way through the procedure.

If you are unsure then you need to try the birds out for their prowess in the brooding department and just use the best ones that you have available, but I always find using the broody hen to be quite a risk but one that in most cases pays off and works very well. And, of course, there is the bonus that when the chicks hatch she takes care of them - with a little help and protection from you.