broody

[Gorygirl]

Hi
Its been over 100 in California and my hen was panting and would not get off her eggs, when I found her a few months back in a parking lot starving I took her home and she lived in a big crate in the house until I could set up a coop. a month or so ago I found a wild rooster in my back yard and he seems to have mated with her she took kindly to the new coop and has been laying eggs and now the few I didnt take she is sitting on being that shes content on sitting on some of the eggs I had to move her back in the house due to the heat. I floated the eggs and one seems to be viable. How long can she stay off the egg before it dies? I put her outside in the morning to wander and poop and normally she goes back in her crate and i bring her back in. Today she just doesnt feel like going back in. Should I be concerned? shes been sitting on them for 2 weeks.

 

[A.M. Eggs]

Eggs can be away from the broody for 30 minutes at a time and will be ok. In this heat, it can be longer. If she is not going to stay broody, either discard the eggs or try and incubate them yourself. Hope that she is just relaxing!

 

[aart]

I floated the eggs and one seems to be viable.

Meaning you saw them move when floating in the water?
Floating an incubating egg is not a great thing to do, better to candle them to check for viability.

How long can she stay off the egg before it dies?

If the weather is hot they could be off for a quite while without hurting the embryo.

shes been sitting on them for 2 weeks.

She stopped laying and has been sitting on nest most the day and all night?