How many hours can eggs stay ok without the hen warming them?

[judyki2004]

My hen Yamina is broody with 2 eggs, and yesterday she left the nest but i dont know know for how long as I was working at that time... does anyone knows is it possible the eggs still ok?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Relax. They should be fine.

How long the hen can stay off depends on a few different things. How cool is your weather. Probably pretty warm right now. In cold weather I’ve seen a broody eat, drink, and take her daily constitutional in about 15 minutes. In the heat of summer I’ve seen a hen stay off the nest over an hour a couple of times in one day. So weather plays a part.

How well are the eggs insulated? In most nesting material, probably pretty well.

How close to hatch date are they? The more developed they are, the more heat they generate on their own. In those large commercial incubators, the ones where they may have 60,000 eggs in one incubator, the problems they have when it gets close to hatch is cooling the incubator, not heating it up, due to the heat those eggs put out.

I’ve had a hen go to the wrong nest. When I found her, the eggs were ice cold to the touch. I just put her back on her eggs. Not only did she hatch 11 out of 11, they were almost two days early.

I really don’t think you have much to worry about. Good luck with the hatch.

 

[judyki2004]

Thank you Ridgerunner How sweet to hear that! ! It's her first time broody ( and my first time with a hen broody) so I am excited & concern about them! They are 7-8 days only and yes they were cool to the touch, but we have a preety hot weather in Puerto rico , so lets pray! It will be sweet to have lill chicks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Just to whet your appetite. This hen was setting on 14 eggs yesterday. I have no idea what she is setting on right now. I’ll leave her alone until she brings them off the nest. Wishing you the best of luck.

 

[kateseidel]

what a timely thread - Ridgerunner, your answer has made me feel better!!

My #1 hen (buff orpington) has always been super broody. This year, since she decided to go broody in the hen house, we quickly got her fertilized eggs. That good hen - no muss, no fuss. I would set an egg next to her in the nest box, and she would reach over and roll it under her. So she has 12 fertlized eggs. She hops off the nest each morning to go get breakfast and a drink, and I sneak in to take out the unfertilized eggs (because all of the other hens get into the nest with her and lay their eggs too).

Today, she got off in the afternoon and got into the nest next door. I freaked out thinking she was abandoning, but she was back on her own nest within 20 minutes. Probably, I need to stop peeking at her every couple of hours. It's going to be a long 21 days!

 

[judyki2004]

Thanks so much for posting these lovely photos! this is Yamina siiting on her 2 lil eggs

 

[Cynthia12]

I am also awaiting for a broody. I haven't had one for a couple of years. These photos are fun! I can't wait. She still has about a week and half. I've noticed she will get up for a very short time, eats, drinks, makes that nice smelly broody smell, and back she goes. She's only off for about 10 15 mins. from what I've seen. It is warming up here, so maybe she will stay off a bit longer. ? I check her out several times a day too. She is in a run of her own for now, inside of a little motel room of her own..aka..dog kennel. Here she is, a Bantam Favorelle.