Abandoned by broody how long to get them in incubator?

[sunnie7]

I have a broody hen who hatched 5 eggs. I checked on her the night before, no chirps or signs of chics. Come home from work the next day she’s down on the coop floor with 5 babies running around. There were 5 more eggs left in the nest and I got them in the incubator this evening. I can see movement in 1 but not sure about the other 4, they are olive so very dark. What are the chances they will hatch? How long this late in the game do the eggs stay viable once mom leaves the nest?

 

[Rose Quartz]

I don't imagine they'd have long, but cold isn't as bad as over heat when they're in egg. If you've got one alive then the others might be too.

If you're sure they were all started at the same time, give the olive eggs 3 days longer than the alive one to hatch. Assuming it hatches. If it doesn't give them all 3 days and see if anything happens. After that it'll be really hard to merge younger chicks in with the older chicks.

 

[sunnie7]

I don't imagine they'd have long, but cold isn't as bad as over heat when they're in egg. If you've got one alive then the others might be too.

If you're sure they were all started at the same time, give the olive eggs 3 days longer than the alive one to hatch. Assuming it hatches. If it doesn't give them all 3 days and see if anything happens. After that it'll be really hard to merge younger chicks in with the older chicks.

They very well could be 1-2 days behind the other eggs. I have another broody too and she’s probably a week or more to go I was thinking of these hatch in the next few days I might try putting them under her. This is only my second time letting broody hens hatch. I fought breaking 7 broody hens (some more than once all summer) I finally gave up.

 

[Rose Quartz]

Then you can leave them in the incubator until you think they should definitely have hatched. Plus a day for the time they were cold.