How many eggs can I put underneath a broody hen?

[browning6]

I have a Maran hen that just went broody. How many eggs can I put underneath her? I was thinking a dozen is too many. Does anyone have any experience with numbers. I live in the central valley of California, so the temps are between 35 at nights to 65 during the day.

 

[Ridgerunner]

In summer weather she could easily handle 12 eggs the same size that she normally lays. I’ve put as many as 15. But this is not summer. She’ll need to be able to cover those chicks to keep them warm a lot longer. Those chicks grow pretty fast.

If it were me I’d probably go with no more than 8 if they are the same size she normally lays. That’s more of an opinion than having a lot of science behind it, basically a guess based on experience.

 

[Carin]

8 and if you want to push it 10. With 12 I find with my BIG Brahma hens that not all eggs are always covered.
Good luck