Hen off eggs for how long?

Hen off eggs for how long?

  • 10 minuets

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Less then 10 minuets

    Votes: 1 9.1%

  • More then 10 minuets

    Votes: 10 90.9%
  • Total voters
    11
  • Poll closed .
Date sort Score sort
starrmar006

starrmar006

Songster
6 Years
Jan 10, 2017
449
312
186
Western WA, USA
Hi,
I was wondering how long can a hen be off her eggs before the eggs die. I thought the hen can be off them for 10 minuets max.... but I could be wrong. Can you please help!:hmm
 
SOOO many factors! Caught a hen off her eggs for 'I don't know how long' ... somewhere between minutes and an hour. Day was in the nineties. She managed to hatch some.

Ten minutes should be okay if it is warm. A mommy needs to stretch, eat a little, and release a brood poo.
 
starrmar006 said:
Hi,
I was wondering how long can a hen be off her eggs before the eggs die. I thought the hen can be off them for 10 minuets max.... but I could be wrong. Can you please help!:hmm
Click to expand...
Its according to the air temp, location of the eggs, etc. During the middle of a 95 degree day with the nest in the coop which is out in the sun----maybe a few hours off would not be a problem but as far as "Die" maybe the next morning if the nights got cool, if the coop is in the shade of tree's--still 95---off maybe a couple hours is no problem. If its 32 degree's and the hen gets off the eggs---she better get back in a few minutes----you see what I am saying----so much has to be considered. Even at 32 degree's the eggs would not die in 10 to 15 minutes.
 
I am new to this sort of thing (threads, forums and such) and I signed up so I could ask this detailed question hereforth.
I have a broody hen who started brooding in everyone's favorite nest box. Even though there are 6 other boxes, I would often find two other hens crowding in with and even on top of the broody one. Eggs got shuffled around and mixed, and to my knowledge only one developing egg got pulled into a neighbouring nest box (a sad surprise while making breakfast) I think she managed to keep almost all her original eggs plus a few extra at later start dates. It wasn't until about day 16 for the original clutch that I learnt (from this site) that I could and should move her and the clutch together, which I did successfully at full dark, she was only mildly disoriented and mostly looked relieved the next day to not be pestered by other hens jostling for the prestige nest.
On day 21 I found an almost fully developed chick in the nest I would guess 16-17 days incubation and some crushed shell. Well now it is day 24 and we found her off the nest, looking frantically for her nest (or was suffering from the delusion that she had chicks) and when I led her back to the nest she eagerly settled on them again. The eggs were cool, so assuming them all dead I grabbed 4 to open with which to give my kids a biology lesson. One was fully rotten, but I was surprised to find radically differing stages of development, as far as I could tell different stages of decay among the partially developed eggs. All that windy preamble stated, my questions are thus: will she stay broody until she gets a chick? What are the chances that any of the eggs are alive with less than 3 hours unattended but allowed to cool? How long can a hen's health hold up if she continues to brood past 21 days? Will it be emotionally and hormonally damaging for her if I put her back in the coop away from her nest? And if I put her back in the coop will she recuperate or just start brooding again on the first eggs she finds? This is her first time but she is very determined, today is the first I have seen her off her nest. She is good natured and helps all the other hens to stay calm, an all around good influence on the flock. I am concerned for her health.
 
That's too many eggs, even under perfect conditions not that many would hatch. But still, half an hour isn't too bad ... some may hatch yet. But you remember the old saying about not counting your chickens? This is what they were talking about. Let her finish the hatch and any that do hatch will be little miracles and a story to tell for some time to come!
 

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