Broody Chicken Tries to 'Hatch an Idea' and People Can't Stop Laughing
Broody hens are known for their determination, but Mercedes's Ayam Cemani hen is getting especially creative with her efforts to hatch something. When a hen goes broody, she'll often sit on anything she thinks might be an egg, and she got close-ish with this one.
Mercedes knew her hen was carefully incubating something, but she wasn't quite sure what to expect was underneath her. Imagine her surprise when she discovered the hen was sitting on a lightbulb. Apparently, it was close enough in size and shape to an egg that the hen decided it belonged in the nest. The hilarious scene has viewers joking that she's not trying to hatch chicks at all...she's trying to hatch an idea!
@mercedeslent My girl is trying her best . My birds do have a coop and nesting boxes but she prefers to hide in this pallet in our shed. Maybe one day she'll get one to hatch #chickensoftiktok#broodyhen#mamahen#ayamcemanichicks
original sound - Mercedes Lent
Mercedes joked in the caption, "My girl is trying her best LOL! My birds do have a coop and nesting boxes, but she prefers to hide in this pallet in our shed. Maybe one day she'll get one to hatch..."
She'd probably have better luck if she chose something other than a lightbulb. We guess this is proof that broody hens really will sit on just about anything!
Related: Wait Until You See What This Silkie Chicken Tried to Hatch
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Why Do Broody Hens Sit on Just About Anything?
One commenter joked, "The way she's staring at that lightbulb like she's as surprised as you are is so funny!" She's broody, and she really wants a baby!
When a hen goes broody, her instinct to incubate eggs and raise chicks becomes incredibly strong. Broody hens have been known to try hatching all sorts of objects that aren't eggs, including golf balls, rocks, and sometimes even nothing. Some will even steal eggs from other hens and claim them as their own.
As The Chicken Chick explains, "The state of being broody is controlled by instinct, hormones and lighting conditions." Left to her own devices, a broody hen will lay a clutch of eggs, stop laying, and then spend roughly 21 days sitting on them until they hatch."
Some breeds are especially known for their broody tendencies. According to The Chicken Chick, Silkies, Cochins, and Australorps are among the most likely to go broody, jokingly referring to them as the "perpetual contenders for the Broody Mother of the Year Award."
Given her determination to hatch a lightbulb, we'd say Mercedes's hen is in the running as well.
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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 10:00 AM.