Hello All from Greenville, SC. We've been homesteading for about five years now, and raising chickens for about six months. I like to write about my learning experiences in the garden and kitchen. This looks like a great place to get answers to questions. In fact I found it trying learn about what to expect from a broody hen. I seem to have a couple, now that they've started laying. So far I've been taking the eggs after they leave the nesting box. Now I'm going to try leaving the ones that get laid in the boxes, and just collecting the ones that get laid on the floor of the coop and the ground, and just see what happens with those.
Welcome to BYC If you leave the eggs they may or may not go broody and sit on them. I've had some success with this method, but it really depends on the hens. Some are easier to "catch" than others.
Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan If you want to brood eggs, best to put marked eggs under a hen and check them daily. Other birds will get in the box and lay additional eggs, which will not hatch out at the same time, and the hen may end up with more eggs than she can cover, also affecting hatchability. If you have hens laying on the floor you may need more nest boxes.