Can I put eggs back under a broody hen?

[Scots in France]

We have a hen that has been laying eggs in "secret nests" for the last month, yesterday we found a nest with 18 eggs in it, from 3 hens (different colours) and collected all the eggs, but put a wooden egg in so she would continue to lay there.
Today she has decided to go broody!
Tomorrow I will lift her and have a look to see how many eggs she has.
I would like her to have 3 eggs minimum.
Can I put some of the eggs I collected yesterday back under her? They have been sitting in a basket in my kitchen...
(we have already had mommas hatch 36 chicks this year...)


Thank you for any input you can provide...

 

[sourland]

No reason you can't return eggs to the nest.

 

[FeatherTay]

They might have already been developing. Maybe candle so we can have a look-see

 

[Scots in France]

No reason you can't return eggs to the nest.

Thank you!

 

[Scots in France]

They might have already been developing. Maybe candle so we can have a look-see

I will try to Candle the eggs before I put any back, never done it before, but there is a first time for everything...

 

[FeatherTay]

I will try to Candle the eggs before I put any back, never done it before, but there is a first time for everything...

It’s very fun!!

 

[Scots in France]

We candled the eggs, most of them the yolk was mobile and had an air pocket, none further developed than that...
Put 7 eggs under her - 4 of her own and 3 from our brown hen.
She's sitting happy in a leaf nest at the end of our garden, under a brolly as we have had & expecting to have thunder storms with heavy rain!
I take her breakfast every day too!
I will try and get a photo...
Thank you for the support as always!