how long can a broody hen be off her eggs?

[Lorraines]

I just had this happen last month. My broody got off her nest on Day 13 while I was at work, and when I arrived home I found her in the wrong nestbox (rookie mistake not to pen her up I know). It was a day in the 60's--the eggs were cold and I figured she'd been off the nest for about 4 or 5 hours. I put her back on them in a dog crate and 7 of 9 hatched right on time!

Thats encouraging bc my little bantam hen was gettng bullied out of 1of 3 laying boxes by the big girls. She moved over off of her eggs and onto a few big brown ones. At the ridk of upsetting her more I just gently placed her cold eggs around her last night. Temps are in the 60s. This morning she had covered them all! Its a wait and see I know but she was only a few days in so hopefully they will make it to term

 

[DebRay63]

I know this is an old thread but had to post my experience. Short version: Neighbors new chickens escaped and I heard them all over the area.

About 3 weeks ago my dogs let me know I had adopted a brooding hen. She had set up shop under my deck steps. She had 9 eggs in the nest. I let her stay.

Let's just say, I've learned a lot about chickens in the last few weeks. I'm in the central east coast area. The last few weeks, check the date, has been in the 40-50s (F) over nights. 60-70s (F) daytime temps.

Well a week ago she was off the nest for a few hours. No idea how long but she was off the nest when I got home and wasn't on it again until well after dark. Probably 4 hours or more. The eggs were cold to the touch. Based on EVERYTHING I read, if they were viable, they were now dead. Not having the heart to crack one to verify, I left her on them until I was sure it was WAY after the 21 days.

I'm now a daddy. ALL 9 HATCHED!!! Probably 21 days on the nose (give or take a day or 5).

My broody girl is at day 23, but I don't see any signs of chicks yet. She was off the nest early on for about 4-5 hours, and the eggs were cold to the touch...I was wondering if it would just increase the days to hatch or if they are no longer viable. Thanks for your post, now, I still have hope!

 

[NatJ]

My broody girl is at day 23, but I don't see any signs of chicks yet. She was off the nest early on for about 4-5 hours, and the eggs were cold to the touch...I was wondering if it would just increase the days to hatch or if they are no longer viable. Thanks for your post, now, I still have hope!

Have you tried candling the eggs? (Take the eggs into a dark place, like a closet with no windows, and shine a bright light through them.)

If you have not candled eggs before, start with one you know has no chick (freshly laid, or from the refrigerator.) You will probably see a dark area in the middle (yolk) with the air cell at one end, and the rest lit up fairly evenly. Then candle the eggs you are not sure about. If there are chicks almost ready to hatch, they will be almost completely dark inside, with a big air cell at one end.

This page has photos of eggs being candled at various stages of development:
https://incubatorwarehouse.com/egg-candling
The "day 3" photo on that page is about what you will see in an egg that has not developed. The "day 19" photo is very close to hatching, with the chick being large and dark and filling most of the shell.

 

[chickfused]

It's been in the 50s all day. My hen was off her eggs (about day 12) for a full 9 hours. They were cold to the touch when I found them and returned them. (My mom has dementia and "helped" by collecting eggs today.) Are they goners?

 

[NatJ]

It's been in the 50s all day. My hen was off her eggs (about day 12) for a full 9 hours. They were cold to the touch when I found them and returned them. (My mom has dementia and "helped" by collecting eggs today.) Are they goners?

They might be fine, might not be.

I would wait a few days and then try candling them.

The reason for waiting: live chicks in the eggs will grow during those days, but dead ones will not. So if you have some of each, in a few days they will be different sizes, and it will be easier to tell them apart. You learn more by waiting a few days, and you also avoid stressing any survivors by trying to candle right now.

 

[chickfused]

I saw this after checking them again. They're still moving in there.

 

[NatJ]

I saw this after checking them again. They're still moving in there.

Movement sounds like a good sign of life

 

[jessejeanne]

I made the mistake of having two broody chickens next to each other. One started to get broody when the other one was already 4 days in, but since she was sitting on too many eggs, I took the cold ones and gave them to the new broody. I was gone for half a day, assumed everything was fine… it was not. The new broody just wasn’t broody anymore, and my old broody was sitting on the wrong nest. Her eggs felt icy cold. It’s 50 F here and when I candled, two of them were already gone. Is there still hope for the others? I feel so stupid. I haven’t had a succesfull hatch yet. All 3 hatches I had ended up with only 2-3 chicks while there were 6-8 eggs. Partly also bcs I had some low quality ones as well, but I feel horrible knowing that it’s my fault partly this time by letting the young broody try and then not checking anymore…

 

[NatJ]

Her eggs felt icy cold. It’s 50 F here and when I candled, two of them were already gone. Is there still hope for the others?

If in doubt, tuck them back under the hen and wait 2-3 days, then candle to see how they are doing. For the ones you say are "gone," if you mean you did not see any movement, I would still put them under the hen and wait a few days.

When you candle again in a few days, live chicks will have grown, but dead ones will be the same size they were today, because dead chicks do not grow.

If they do live, they may hatch a day late (because of getting cold, which slows down their growth.)

Sometimes eggs and chicks seem very fragile, easy to break, easy to kill the chick inside.
But other times they shock us by surviving things like cold temperatures, that seem like they should have killed the chicks.
That is why I suggest putting them all under the hen again for a few days, then candling to see which ones are still alive and growing.