Broody switched nests!

[PoultryGirly]

Hi. I've had 3 broody chicken hens in the last few weeks. I had a Partridge Cochin hen sitting on eggs (she died while incubating her eggs and I never took her eggs out of the nesting box), I have a GL Wyandotte hen sitting (2 weeks), and I also have a BO hen sitting (1 week). Each 2 hens (that are alive) were sitting on 15 eggs exactly. The GL Wyandotte hen was always in the first nesting box and the BO hen was always in the last nesting box. Well, tonight, the GL Wyandotte hen was sitting in the wrong nest! She was sitting on the nest that my dead hen was sitting on. The alive GL Wyandotte had been sitting on her other nest for 2 weeks today. This morning she was sitting on her original nest at 11:30 a.m. and I just noticed this 'nest change' at 9:30 p.m. Her other eggs were cool to the touch so I quickly split her original eggs between her and the BO hen. Will they be okay? Why did my GL Wyandotte switch nests? I'm gonna collect eggs more often now. Also, what should I do when (hopefully) the older eggs hatch before the way younger ones? I guess I can put them in my incubator if they're still alive but I don't want to contaminate my duck eggs that are already in there.

 

[ChickenRaiser95]

She needs to come down for food, so I think she got confused on which box was hers'. eggs that are furtile and incubated can stay out w/o heat for a max ( and i mean MAX) of 1 hour before the embryo dies, in most cases this happens w/in 30 minutes

 

[Judy]

It is not unusual at all for them to switch nests; they don't seem to know which is "theirs. They will also moveggs from one nest to another, sometimes breaking them in the process. Hens who are laing will lay in the broody nest, sometimes with the broody still in there. Among other things. And when some hatch and the mama takes thie chicks out to eat and drink, she will abandon any unhatched eggs. They are supposed to get up every day to eat and drink, but sometimes they don't and even if they do, they lose wweight. A broody who doesn't leave the nest every day is subject to dying of starvation. If the eggs aren't marked, the hens may have switched them around.

I put my broody in her own pen away from the flock while she is setting, with enough room for her to get a little exercise when she gets up each day to eat, drink and poop. I make each broody get up at least once a day and prod her til she eats and drinks. After the chicks hatch, the mama and her chicks go back in the flock. When I used to let them set on eggs in with the flock, I would mark the eggs with a Sharpie, and check several times a day to get the broody back on the right eggs, and to get each broody up and moving for a few minutes. I collect eggs I wanted to hatch on the kitchen counter, then put them under her all at once, so they all have a chance to hatch.

Here is one person's approach to broodies. There are many ways to do it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/broody-hens

 

[Judy]

Actually, eggs can be left unincubated for several hours in some cases, and still hatch. Sometimes the hatch takes a bit longer if this happens.

 

[PoultryGirly]

Thank you! I see one hen (the BO hen) getting up to eat everyday. But the GL Wyandotte, I don't see her eat, but she must've because she got off of her original nest. So, flockwatcher, do you think that the original nest eggs are dead? They were unheated for at max 10 hours.