How long can hatching eggs be left alone before dying?

[Top Rooster]

So I have a broody hen who has been sitting on some eggs for about a week and she got kicked off her nest by another hen and she got onto the wrong nest and stayed she had been away at the longest for four hours and today the temperature had gotten to a hundred. Are my eggs still hatch able or are they all dead?

 

[cmom]

Candle them and see if you see any movement.

 

[Top Rooster]

Candle them and see if you see any movement.

All I see is veins but no movement.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I would just put the eggs under her where she is.

 

[Top Rooster]

I would just put the eggs under her where she is.

Okay that’s what I’ve done so far I’ll just hope for the best and candle them in a few days to see if they’ve developed any further.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Okay that’s what I’ve done so far I’ll just hope for the best and candle them in a few days to see if they’ve developed any further.

Sounds great!

 

[Splinky01]

I’m very new to hatching. I had a very clever hen who jumped out of the hen area and laid all her eggs safely and securely and 10/11 eggs hatched. All are 9 weeks old now. We had a cockerel but we culled him as he was annoying the neighbours. Then I got about 5 broodys! The first one I took her eggs thinking they weren’t fertile. Took them in the house and left them for several hours. Then realised that they could be fertile ( eggs can be fertile up to 4 weeks after a cockerel dies/ leaves) so I put them back under her. After 21 /22 days Saturday morning 3 had hatched all doing well . Then another Sunday morning. We could see an egg had cracked right round sat afternoon and by sun evening that had hatched too! That one is very weak but getting stronger. I moved her and her 5 chicks into the house. There were 5 more eggs and felt them moving so have put them under a broody who had non of her own eggs in hope they may hatch. I didn’t realise but they must have been laid over a few days . Anyhow there’s hope for yours! I’m so surprised any hatched but 5 is amazing. Will keep you posted if anymore hatch.

 

[Top Rooster]

I’m very new to hatching. I had a very clever hen who jumped out of the hen area and laid all her eggs safely and securely and 10/11 eggs hatched. All are 9 weeks old now. We had a cockerel but we culled him as he was annoying the neighbours. Then I got about 5 broodys! The first one I took her eggs thinking they weren’t fertile. Took them in the house and left them for several hours. Then realised that they could be fertile ( eggs can be fertile up to 4 weeks after a cockerel dies/ leaves) so I put them back under her. After 21 /22 days Saturday morning 3 had hatched all doing well . Then another Sunday morning. We could see an egg had cracked right round sat afternoon and by sun evening that had hatched too! That one is very weak but getting stronger. I moved her and her 5 chicks into the house. There were 5 more eggs and felt them moving so have put them under a broody who had non of her own eggs in hope they may hatch. I didn’t realise but they must have been laid over a few days . Anyhow there’s hope for yours! I’m so surprised any hatched but 5 is amazing. Will keep you posted if anymore hatch.

Yeah I’ll keep you posted once they hatch, i candled them yesterday and I think they’re alive because their development is on schedule. I haven’t seen movement but I don’t know how to make them move it seems they just stay in place. They should hatch if they’re alive in about two weeks

 

[ronott1]

Towards the end of incubation, it is hard to see veins in the egg because the chick fills the egg.

I hope they hatch for you!

 

[Top Rooster]

I forgot to mention the hen is actually a brown leghorn of all chickens who has been sitting diligently for two and a half months to three months now I tried to break her earlier but she just wouldn’t give up. She’s gone broody twice in one year hatching chicks both times one time in early spring the other in October. She’s the most broody chicken I have ever had beating out Orpingtons and other chickens that are known to be broody and she’s a leghorn for goodness sake.