A broody hen has a strong instinct to incubate eggs and will willingly sit on anything that resembles an egg shape. If you introduce eggs from other bird species into a broody hen’s nest, she will diligently continue to incubate them until they hatch.

However, once the eggs hatch, the outcome is quite different. Newly hatched chickens are relatively independent and capable of taking care of themselves. While the mother hen keeps a watchful eye on her chicks and guides them to food sources, the chicks are able to locate and feed themselves without her assistance. On the other hand, songbirds like robins or titmice are born blind and helpless, relying on their parents to directly provide them with food for the initial few weeks of their lives. A chicken hen is not equipped to care for songbird chicks and would be unaware of their specific needs, leading the songbird chicks to quickly suffer from starvation.