Summary
Incubating hens do not sit with their entire body weight on the eggs. The weight applied to the clutch is carefully regulated and depends on the number of eggs in the nest. Sensory input from the thoracic skin (brood patch) of the incubating hen appears to be important for controlling the tightness of sit.
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Midtgård, U. How heavily does the hen sit on her eggs during incubation?. Experientia 43, 1232–1233 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01945538
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01945538