Question about gathering hatching eggs that have been sat on temporarily.

machinfarm

Chirping
Apr 27, 2015
137
41
78
Weatherford, TX
Hello! I have a BO hen who's gone broody, I gave her 6 eggs to sit on and marked them all (I didn't want to move her to a seperate broody pen after a bad experience with my last broody). Naturally, she's in the favorite best box. Once a day I pick her up and check under her and she will usually have 1-2 more eggs that some of the other 6 girls must be climbing in with her to lay, or laying while she's up eating. I haven't seen her off the nest but I sure can spot her giant broody poops out in the run so I know she's been getting up daily.
My question is, since I am collecting eggs to hatch, are the new ones I take from under her any good to incubate? She could have been on them for 12 hours at the most. When I collected them today the extra two were quite warm. I planned on collecting for a week before putting this set in the incubator, but if those two already started developing, sitting at room temp for a week will kill them, I imagine. Would they have started developing as soon as they were laid since they got sat on immediately? Or do they go dormant for a little while even though conditions are right for development?
I could just save the ones I get from under her to eat I guess, I don't want to be putting eggs in the bator that won't develop nor do I want to add eggs to the bator every day.
 
Pre-incubation can actually help them. Probably genetically inherent since hens sit on eggs every day before they start setting.
After pulling them from the nest, I'd try cooling them lower than room temperature though.
 
Pre-incubation can actually help them. Probably genetically inherent since hens sit on eggs every day before they start setting.
After pulling them from the nest, I'd try cooling them lower than room temperature though.

Oh that's great to hear! What temperature would you recommend? I have been keeping the eggs in a spare room that stays at 70 pretty consistently and turn them three times a day until I set them. We've gotten an 85% hatch rate on average so far (out of only five hatches though so), which I know is a decent number but if there's anything that can improve it I'd love to give it a try!
 

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