Fertilized in April? Baby Chicks?

[SeaSea47]

I'm sure you all get these questions all the time, but I had two stray hens and two stray roosters dumped on side of the road at my house around the last week of April. The roosters disappeared within a few days, but I still have the hens, and they've been sleeping in my garage until this week when I was able to build them a coop. My problem is that one of them has become broody. I didn't realize it, but she'd built a nest just outside the garage in some grass. I've put a shelter around her to protect her from weather/predators, but she's been sitting for three days now. They'll be moving into the new coop this upcoming weekend, and I hate to take her off the eggs if she is actually hatching babies. Any chance those eggs are fertilized? She has not been around a rooster since the last week of April, so for about a month. How could I tell if they are? Thanks for your help!

 

[wynn4578]

none of the eggs will likely be fertile. Most people remove hens from a roo for 3 weeks to a month to be sure she doesn't have any chicks sired by him but studies have shown that there is almost 0 fertility in chicken eggs after 12 days (University of Ohio study). To be sure a month is a good estimate to live by. All that being said, I would still candle them to be sure. You never know when a miracle will pop up.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Mine were fertile for 4 weeks after I took the roo out. So they could be. You could always candle them before you move her this weekend.