a few weeks ago I asked how long will a hen sit. She had been sitting on eggs for almost 4 weeks and they started to smell. So I decided to see how long a hen would sit..... the answer is TILL SHE HAS CHICKS...... I gave her a clean nest with fresh eggs and she has been sitting (this time un-disturbed as I put her in a tractor by her self.) for 3 weeks. should have chicks this week end. The last time every time she got off her nest to drink or eat the other hens jumped in and laid another egg. she would go back to the wrong nest which also had eggs in it and would be sitting on the wrong nest all day till I got home and put the right eggs under her again.
this happened to often plus the eggs got contaminated when a hen laid a shell less egg in her nest. So it is my guess a hen will sit till she has chicks, given the chance
