beta
yes, broody hens are extremely protective of eggs they lay but ONLY when there's a rooster in the coop will these eggs come out fertilized & turn into chicks. and if they're not in a brooding mood, hens literally do not care about their eggs and will leave them anywhere to rot.
which makes this situation worse because it's probably wreaking havoc with his human (mammalian) instincts regarding child rearing bc it's different from avians who adapt better even when their clutch is taken since it makes sense for survival.
it's like they're essentially making him go through the trauma of miscarriages just for product.