Help- how long can nest eggs chill?

[msmolly]

Last night my hen was attacked on her nest. She seems to be okay but all the squawking and honking got me out of bed. There I was running around the backyard in my night gown waving my arms and yelling at invisible beasts, to leave my bird alone. Anyway, not knowing where her nest was in the dark, I assumed the eggs were being gobbled up. I led my distressed hen back to the safety of the pen and locked her up for the night. First thing in the morning, saw the pile of feathers which located the nest for me, and there were still five perfect eggs. I let Lucy out of the pen and she went straight to the eggs and sat on them. Question....are they any good now? She had only been sitting on this nest about 2 to 3 days when this happened. I've gone ahead and just moved the eggs to the pen hoping she would resume sitting on them there. She is not happy with me and cant figure out where the eggs are. Do I catch her and force her onto the eggs, or are they no good? Her first nest this year was a loss, predators, and too much interference from me (probably), so was thrilled she layed another nest.

 

[casportpony]

Chicken and duck eggs would be fine.

-Kathy

 

[msmolly]

But these are Pea eggs, and I'm afraid she's off em for good now- darn!

 

[casportpony]

So sorry.

-Kathy

 

[zazouse]

But these are Pea eggs, and I'm afraid she's off em for good now- darn!

Look on the brite side, she got threw this and you got years of laying coming from her

 

[johnskoi]

she 'may' lay a second (usually smaller) clutch...

 

[DylansMom]

she 'may' lay a second (usually smaller) clutch...

This was her second clutch, doubtful she will lay a third.

I accidentally pulled a good egg from my bator last year and it sat in a 72 degree room for 12 hrs. it was still alive when I discovered my error and put it back in. She hatched just fine, but 12 hrs later than the other eggs. However with you moving the eggs I don't think she'll sit on them again. I am glad to hear she is okay, this is why I quit free ranging, lost too many hens in the middle of the night.

 

[KsKingBee]

But these are Pea eggs, and I'm afraid she's off em for good now- darn!

I don't understand why you didn't keep them warm with a light bulb until you could buy or borrow an incubator?

 

[msmolly]

I don't understand why you didn't keep them warm with a light bulb until you could buy or borrow an incubator?

It was midnight and dark outside. Something attacked my peahen forcing her off the nest. Not knowing where the nest was(outside on the hill somewhere) and more concerned with getting my hen back into the pen where she would be safe, I assumed whatever scared her off was eating the eggs. Wasnt till the next morning when I let her out of the pen and she went straight back to her nest and sat on the five remaining eggs- did i know where the nest was. I let het sit on the eggs all day, wondering if they were still viable, but by evening I realized- if I didnt move her and the eggs to the pen- she would just get attacked again. I moved the nest into the pen, same area she has hatched chicks in the past- but she wasn't having any thing to do with it. Got her to sit on them for about 10 minutes, she did a bunch of honking and then left the eggs and hasnt gone back! Bummer. Since I didn't know if the eggs were any good after the first evening of being left, I didnt' force it last night. Bummer

 

[msmolly]

This was her second clutch, doubtful she will lay a third.

I accidentally pulled a good egg from my bator last year and it sat in a 72 degree room for 12 hrs. it was still alive when I discovered my error and put it back in. She hatched just fine, but 12 hrs later than the other eggs. However with you moving the eggs I don't think she'll sit on them again. I am glad to hear she is okay, this is why I quit free ranging, lost too many hens in the middle of the night.

Darn, wish I'd seen your post earlier- so they would have survived after she went back to them the next morning. She sat on them all day, but was forced to move them into the pen last night- at which point I couldn't get her back on them. If I'd known for sure they were still viable, I could have used a little more bribery and coercion to get her to sit on them ...dag nabit! Her first nest was in the hen house this year, but a coon snuck in and stole eggs right from under her! Then, I was so concerned and impatient, I kept lifting her up by the tail daily to check the eggs. I'm pretty sure I caused way too much disturbance to the eggs. The previous two years, I neither knew where the eggs were, or when they would hatch, and they did great. She hatched 6 chicks both times with none of my snoopy interference. I'm pretty sure she chose to nest outside the pen to get away from nosy Nelly here(that would be me). Boy, have I learned my lesson...sad face.