How long can you let a broody set?

[Trish1974]

At the beginning of the month I had an Araucana pullet go broody. I waited for her to sit for four days and then I gave her 7 eggs. Not even a week later, one of my older layers went broody. I decided to let her sit in case the pullet gave up and then I would give broody #2 the eggs.

Unfortunately the pullet's eggs didn't develop. Her heart was in it, but she just wasn't doing it right. I would often find her with the eggs spread out around her; not under her. This past week I had an incubator hatch, and gave her 3 chicks to raise. She is doing great with them.

Broody #2 is still sitting, and as badly as I want to put some eggs under her, she has already been sitting for almost 3 weeks. Would it be detrimental to her health to put eggs under her now and make her sit longer, or would she just stop on her own after so long?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

A hen will sit until she hatches something or she gets so depleted she cannot remain broody. So if your hen is still in good condition she should be able to set longer, but it's a risk.

 

[sourland]

She might or might not set another 21 days, but it would be quite debilitating to her. If she were mine, I would either break her or foster some chicks to her.

 

[Dec17]

Hi I have found that my pekin bantam Lavendar goes broody every year regardless of sitting or eggs or not I have had two hatches of her the 1st and 2nd year but this year she was unsuccessful and had the same problem as your hens so i left her be for a week with another set of eggs and she pushed them out the nest so after that I forced her out off her nest because at this point she had been in the hut for nearly two months so I decided to move her on because her face no longer had colour much and her mate was on his own in the run and she has been fine since no signs or distress and got her colour back within a day

 

[Shadrach]

I would often find her with the eggs spread out around her; not under her.

That's a nest problem rather than a hen problem.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...e-make-a-sitting-hens-job-so-difficult.74389/

 

[Trish1974]

That's a nest problem rather than a hen problem.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...e-make-a-sitting-hens-job-so-difficult.74389/

Ah geez...
Yep, that was my fault then. I kept minimal straw in the nest boxes because the rooster would scratch through it and toss it out onto the coop floor.

 

[Shadrach]

Ah geez...
Yep, that was my fault then. I kept minimal straw in the nest boxes because the rooster would scratch through it and toss it out onto the coop floor.

Don't beat yourself up. It's such an easy misunderstanding and lots and lots of people make the same mistake.
For some hens and you can see in one of the last pictures, they are unable to get the eggs underneath them and control them properly. I've got a hen here with a permanent limp from sitting on a hard based nest.

 

[Trish1974]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Sounds like I should start breaking her. I'm not going to put her health at risk just because I want more chicks.