Broody Hen

[flyingdragon]

I have a cockoo marans hen that went broody this past Friday. I have another hen and a roo. Question is could I place eggs collected from a few days prior under her to hatch (I already have) and for how many days after her going broody could I put the other hen's eggs under her and expect them to hatch. These were show chickens and the only marans of laying age I have so I thought I could sacrifice a few egg sales and build up my hen numbers. She has eight under her now. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Kittymomma]

The hen will leave the nest a day or so after the first chick hatches so if you add eggs after she starts setting she'll probably abandon them when the first ones hatch.

I've put eggs up to two weeks old under a broody and in the incubator with good results. Rule of thumb is that viability goes down after a week, but if you can keep them around 50 degrees and turn them a few times a day I've done well with older eggs.