Hens and their eggs

[TPMemnoch]

My hen now has 17 eggs laid - when will she start sitting on them and how long until they hatch?
Thanks so much!

 

[MareeZoCool]

When I decided to try to let my hen go broody, I was advised to leave 3 eggs under her, then collect all the following eggs. For the first time in raising home /hen-hatched eggs I thought this was a good idea. 3 is a small brood, won't bee too many extra roos - if any! We now have 3 4-weeks old biddies, growing healthy & strong, thanks to momma hen!

OH ************* 21 days is the usual hatch-out date. mark your eggs with a non toxic marker, helps you keep track.

 

[TPMemnoch]

Oooh....is it too late to take them? They have been there for about a week now?
How long before she starts sitting on them? She seems to be ignoring them?

 

[elmo]

Your hen may not be the kind that goes broody. What breed is she?

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Oh, and by the way, the 21 days starts when the hen begins to incubate them around the clock.

 

[TPMemnoch]

She is auracana...also have some golden comets...

How long should I leave the eggs there is no one is sitting on them?
Can they go bad?

If you cannot tell, this is the first time I decided to let some eggs hatch...

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Do you mean Ameraucana or Araucana? The breed index here says the first one is "average" in broodiness while the second one is a "frequent" broody. Sorry there's no listing there for Golden Comets.

Eggs can last for quite a while without refrigeration. They can stay viable for a week or longer, although I've read that after about a week or so the hatch rate may go down. If it was me, I wouldn't leave eggs in the nest for longer than a week to 10 days, not because they would go bad but simply because they would be less likely to hatch than fresher eggs if the hen finally did decide to brood them.

 

[TPMemnoch]

Hmmm....the store where I got them from had them listed as Araucana...?

One of the golden comets is sitting on them at night, but leaves them during the day...