How long can broody be off eggs b4 eggs die?

[suzettex5]

My hen is going broody for the first time in her life and I was wondering.... She was getting all fluffy and growling at us when we came near her, and even stole her sisters egg right out from uner her!! But when my 3 yr old got close to her, she took off running! She didnt come back till today. The temps are still in the 40's at night here. I took the eggs and checked them for fertility as we have Jersey giant who has been breeding her. They were fertile, yay! She is back today and acting broody, which I want her to do, but- if she takes off again, how long will the eggs remain viable if freshly laid without the hen on them?

I'm willing to lose a few eggs to let her try for a hatch, but I dont want rotten eggs either. Anyone know the 'safety window' for the fertile eggs?

 

[LarryPQ]

Eggs can go quite a while before they go bad. I understand eggs are a dry good in the UK- they are not refridgerated.

Fertility drops off after 7-10 days, but once the broody starts to incubate, you have limited time she can leave the nest--depending on the ambient temperature. If the egg cools down, the embryo dies.

I had an OEGB leave the nest on day 3 or 5. The eggs were still warmish to the touch (3 hours later with the air temps at 50 degrees) so I tossed them in the incubator. One made it to lockdown, and even pipped. Unfortunately the chick was in a poor position, and died before hatching. I believe that is a result of temperature fluctuations.