How long will a broody hen sit on unfertilized eggs?

[BirdsoftheHill]

I have a hen that has been sitting for 2 days. I have taken her eggs from her, but she continues to sit. I would let her hatch eggs, but alas with no rooster she would not have much success.

 

[austinandkara]

Well, the incubation is 21 days so maybe after that she will realize that they aren't going to hatch and she will snap out of her broodiness. If you do want to hatch eggs you could always buy fertile eggs from someone and put them under her. You could check craigslist and see if there are any hatching eggs for sale. Also, they sell hatching eggs on here.

 

[nivtup]

We have had them sit on air for several weeks.

 

[farmerChef]

some hens are very serious about brooding, they will sit for months if you let them. Most aren't that serious and will realize after about a month that they don't have chicks and snap out of it.

If she stays on the nest for more than a week of you taking eggs and pushing her out, you might need to "break" her if your not getting any eggs/chicks.

 

[gryeyes]

A broody hen will often sit on a golf ball, or sometimes even NOTHING, for several weeks, attempting to hatch it. They are just that determined. It's hormonal - they can't help it.

I don't believe in "breaking" broody hens, but I do have <*ahem*> roosters in my flock (a lot of them) so my flock has increased through natural means by a few chicks hatching. (Plus I do a lot of incubating and hatching of my own.)

If I didn't have any roosters, I would try to get a couple of fertile eggs for any hen that went broody, but that's just me.

 

[LALEWIN]

I've got a hen that's been sitting for a week and a half, eggs are not fertile. Is it too late to get fertile eggs to switch with the duds? I don't want her to quit setting before they'd hatch.