Anybody knows how long can a broody hen wait before I put eggs under her? I've got 2 Wyandottes at the moment sitting one on top of the other (literally!), who seem to be serious about going broody. I want to get some Barnevelder eggs, but as there are no sellers anywhere close to me, a friend who plans to visit us some time soon promised he would get some. Problem is, he is not sure when he will be ready to travel. It might be in 5 days, or 10, or more. Any experience with delaying setting the eggs?
I could put the eggs into the incubator, but during those 3 weeks I would have to make at least two 2-day work-related trips. I could bring the incubator with me (actually I did that last year and it worked fine) but this is stressful and time-consuming so I would much rather give those hens some work.
You should be okay with delaying her getting eggs for 5-10 days, perhaps even more depending on how persistent she is about being broody. In the meantime, it would be best to find something to put under her (fake eggs left over from Easter or the craft store, golf balls, etc. I've even used rounded rocks in a bind), set her up in a broody pen, and disturb her as little as possible..