How long will chicken sit on unhached eggs?

suzfleeg

In the Brooder
Jul 15, 2019
16
5
24
Hello!

I have a Silkie (aka living incubator) who is sitting on three eggs. One of them just hatched and there isn't a peep from the other two yet. They appeared a few days after the first one. How long will she sit on them? Should I be looking for an emergency incubator?

Thanks!
 
It really does depend on the hen. One way that you can kinda tell is how often she goes broody. I had a hen that went broody often, and she sat on the eggs for over 30 days before we gave her chicks.
 
It really does depend on the hen. One way that you can kinda tell is how often she goes broody. I had a hen that went broody often, and she sat on the eggs for over 30 days before we gave her chicks.
She was broody for a few days before we gave her some eggs to hatch. She has probably been sitting for 25 days or so.

I wasn't sure if one of the chicks hatching would break the broody spell.
 
If you had them under her a few days after other egg then it will be a few days later they hatch, have food and water beside hen so she can feed and drink without getting off nest and show the already hatched chick food.. Mine were 3 days apart and she just continued to sit while feeding the chick and waiting for the rest to hatch. .. Your hen could decide to get off the nest to care for chick but if you have food and water beside her she should stay till others hatch like mine did. If you have access to an incubator then you could have it on standby if she does leave the nest, but better off mumma hen to do the job. Good luck! :) let us know how you go and please post adorable chick pics!
 

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