I am so lucky to have my very own chicken models right here. We can sit for ages staring out of the window, just looking at them. We often have discussions as to which one is the most lovely, etc., etc.
That makes Lucy, our light sussex chicken spring to mind. She becomes broody every year. When this first happened, we kept taking her off the nest, trying to break the broodiness. But this never worked and she ended up on that nest throughout the summer. By early Autumn, she had become very scrawny and was in very bad condition.
The next year we had a plan. A spare "nursery" chicken coup was prepared and as soon as the broodiness started, in she went. We bought some fertilised eggs and there she sat for 21 days in her trance, waiting for them to pip. She has since proved herself to be the most fantastic mother.
She's just finished bringing up her second little batch. Her babies, now as big as her, still hug her side, not forgetting that she's still mum.