Fertility of eggs sat on for 8 hours?

[CoopBoots]

Probably a silly question, but I thank you for your patience!

I have a broody who spent her first 24 hour period on the nest today. She sat on some dummy eggs as well as all of today's real eggs (I popped them under her throughout the day--this is meant to help her commit to being broody, in theory at least, since I only have 4 dummies and she doesn't like them much). Is this a bad practice for the hatchibility of today's eggs, since they stayed warm most of the day before cooling for storage this evening? If so, I'll do a better job collecting and allowing normal cooling for future eggs. Thanks so much!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Not sure I understand. You put fertile eggs under her for 8 hrs, then took them away?
Is she a committed broody - or just acting broody?

 

[CoopBoots]

Not sure I understand. You put fertile eggs under her for 8 hrs, then took them away?
Is she a committed broody - or just acting brunder ?

As the rest of the flock laid their eggs today I gave them to her. She's been flirting with being broody, but she actually sat all day long today. So whatever I stuck under her actually stayed warm vs. cooling as they normally do when hens come and go. I collected all the eggs this evening but then realized that might have been too long to let them stay so warm if I wanted to incubate them later on.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They would probably hatch but I would not use them. Mark them and leave them in there to help convince her to switch over to full time broody but I'd start collecting the eggs for her to hatch and store them separately until you can start them at the same time. Or eat them, they are good to eat if they were under her for only 8 hours.

I have two possible concerns. One is what I think you are probably thinking about. Those eggs did develop some while they were under her. Was it enough so that the embryo will now die if you take them away for storage and they cool off? Probably not but I don't know for sure.

The eggs won't all hatch at exactly the same time even if they all start at the same time. Just my luck that these would be the ones that were going to hatch early anyway and the others would be kind of late. I don't think that additional development they have had would be enough to give you a staggered hatch but hatches that drag out can be kind of stressful anyway. I just think it is cleaner to start out with all fresh eggs. I want to give the broody hen every chance to be successful that I can. To me those eggs become precious when they go under the broody to hatch, not before.

My test for a broody hen to deserve eggs is that she has to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of in her normal sleeping spot. Not one night, but two consecutive. All those other signs are informative but I don't rely on them but I would start collecting eggs to hatch.

 

[junior67]

I have never given a broody eggs to sit on until I am ready to give her eggs. I have found in my little experience (only dealt with it last year) with broodies is if they are going to sit and stay broody it doesn't matter if they have eggs or not. I had one I wanted to break so made sure she had no eggs and took her off the nest multiple times a day (plus wanted to be sure she didn't lose weight while being broody since it was her 2nd time broody over the summer and the first she had a chick) she had nothing under her and it didn't change a thing. She just sat there like she did. I give them a few days of being on the nest and staying over night then I give them the eggs that I want. I make sure to collect any new ones under them. Thankfully where my broody is right now the others don't lay in that spot so I haven't had to collect anything from under her. LOL