Broody hen vs incubator at day...23?

[Bearchell]

Hey so I have my good ol home made incubator and it ran steady at 100 degrees 50% humidity for a solid 23 ish days now not sure but its past the due date... Im loosing hope since theres been no pip, no chirping no eggs moving around on their own or anything, This will have been my second unsuccessful incubation... Last time i did this a bulb burnt out and then i replaced it and the temperature spiked and blah blah blah it was depressing, but THIS time, i dont see anything having gone wrong. Today I went down to the coop and this little bantam a friend gave us is sitting in the nest box rolling around her egg and sitting on it. doing what I would imagine to be broody behaviour so I was wondering, If I put one of my eggs under her would it be a bad idea? (Oh ps I dont have a rooster so shes just wasting her time..) I know you stop turning your eggs on day 18 so would it be bad for her to be rolling these chicks around in their eggs before they hatch if theyre even going to hatch? I just think itd be cool to have her hatch an egg, Id rather that then my incubator do the job and it doesnt look like i have alot to loose. Any suggestions? Im thinking that it's not a good idea, but I thought Id ask, i couldnt find anything on here about though im sure there probably is somewhere.

Thanks.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

My % hatch is always better with a broody.

 

[Bearchell]

Yeah thats what ive heard, but do you think that its too late through the process to nab one out of the incubator and chuck it under a hen, shed be turning it like a hot dog on a campfire, and theyre not supposed to be turned this far in right? I thought you wernt even really meant to open the bator after day 18.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The hen isn't locked down. I'd trust her more than any bator.

 

[CakePrincess21]

I have the same promblem
Day 14
I was candling for 1st time. I'm a newbie and so i open my little giant incubator and UGH! almost gagged. This putrid smell. There was a green egg that had black or yellow goo on it. I candled, and there this blob that just moves around the egg. What should I do?

 

[mstricer]

throw it away!!!!!

 

[they'reHISchickens]

I had a great run of broodies this summer so anytime I had eggs in the bator and a broody started setting, I put at least SOME of them under her no matter what stage I had the eggs. I had one broody that only set for a week before she hatched them out. On the plus side, it also left her in GREAT condition.
We don't need every egg laid here so if I have a few broodies along the way, why not use them. Then they raise them themselves free range and I have less trouble and more chicks to choose next year's flock from!