I wanted chickens.So i did not pick up eggs from the nest.I have a hen & a rooster.First she did not care for her eggs when there were 2 of them.But when there were more than 2 she started keeping them under her during laying.Now I have 10 eggs in the nest.Here is her picture
It's doubtful whether the presence of eggs will make them any more likely to go broody. A broody will sit on an empty nest for weeks. If she is not staying on the nest 24/7, she is not broody and you should collect the eggs. If she goes broody, collect eggs on your kitchen counter for up to a week then mark them and place them under her all at once. You should find these of interest: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/broody-hens https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/693407/broody-bird-what-to-do#post_9400530 (post #5)
I few weeks back I thought 2 of my girls were going broody... but they would abandon the next frequently so I took the eggs. about 6 days ago I noticed 1 from each flock was sitting tight all puffed up. when I asked my husband about it (I had been sick) he said they had booth been sitting on eggs for 3 days! one of my girls was sitting on unfertile eggs so I snuck those out and replaced them with eggs that I had in the incubator. my silkie had stolen other eggs (all fertile) only 1 of them was hers and 4 belonged to the other girls. so I let her keep those. I guess they had been practicing a few weeks prior and then decided they were both gonna stick to it.