the world > animals > birds > order Galliformes (fowls) > family Phasianidae (pheasants, etc.) > hen or cock > [noun] > hen > brooding (6)
a clucking hen; a broody or brooding hen; cf. clocking, adj.1
a hen used for breeding or inclined to brood; a hen sitting on eggs or having young chicks; cf. clock hen n.
The action of a birds (esp. a hen) sitting on eggs to incubate them; brooding or broodiness.