Age of Hen and Fertilized Egg Viability?

[ClareScifi]

Is there an age of hen at which their' fertilized eggs tend to be less viable and hatchable?

If you have a Barred Rock hen who is 4 and is still laying nearly every day and is in excellent health, shouldn't her fertilized eggs still be fine for hatching? Or not?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm not aware of a specific age. Very old birds (both hens and cocks) may not provide viable results in hatching but that may be due to things other than age like contracted disease or nutritional deficiencies throughout life. Excessive calcium (as in layer feed) will lessen the viability of sperm in males.
IMO, 4 isn't an old hen.

 

[ClareScifi]

Good to know! We will definitely try again, ChickenCanoe! Can you check out my recent Which Incubator to Get question? I'd love to hear your thinking on this.