Longest incubation time under broody hen?

[kcarestia]

Our hen has been sitting on eggs for a full 24 days now...any suggestions on at what point I should pull the eggs? One egg (out of 4) appears to have been either pecked at or otherwise damaged from the outside and has a feather visible but no signs of life and nothing at all from the other 3 (I did not candle them). Mama hen left the nest infrequently but one time for over an hour so not sure if that either delayed or stopped development. Thanks for any input!

 

[Cheekychook12]

Our hen has been sitting on eggs for a full 24 days now...any suggestions on at what point I should pull the eggs? One egg (out of 4) appears to have been either pecked at or otherwise damaged from the outside and has a feather visible but no signs of life and nothing at all from the other 3 (I did not candle them). Mama hen left the nest infrequently but one time for over an hour so not sure if that either delayed or stopped development. Thanks for any input!

I would candle them to check for any signs of life
Sounds like maybe one egg pipped? Have you got a photo of it?

 

[kcarestia]

Thanks, will the candling work with pretty dark brown shells? I didn't take a photo of the cracked egg, slipped it back under just in case.

 

[16 and me]

Any update on whether or not they hatched?

 

[kcarestia]

Any update on whether or not they hatched?

I sadly found one dead chick (completely developed but I believe damaged by something externally) laying next to mama yesterday and candled the other 3 eggs. Two with thicker, darker shells I couldn't make anything out and one seemed dense on the larger end and hollow on the narrower but nothing else has happened. I was planning on pushing her off the eggs and pulling them later today if this nonstop rain stops (reluctant to try to force her out into such unfriendly weather!).

 

[Cheekychook12]

I sadly found one dead chick (completely developed but I believe damaged by something externally) laying next to mama yesterday and candled the other 3 eggs. Two with thicker, darker shells I couldn't make anything out and one seemed dense on the larger end and hollow on the narrower but nothing else has happened. I was planning on pushing her off the eggs and pulling them later today if this nonstop rain stops (reluctant to try to force her out into such unfriendly weather!).

At this point I’d probably open the remaining eggs or do the water wobble test
If you open the eggs do it outside and slowly and carefully in case they explode

 

[kcarestia]

At this point I’d probably open the remaining eggs or do the water wobble test
If you open the eggs do it outside and slowly and carefully in case they explode

Ok, thank you for the input.

 

[16 and me]

Ok, thank you for the input.

I'm sorry to hear this. I had a broody sitting on 4 eggs. 1 hatched on day 21, & 1 hatched on day 22. I left the other 2 under her, bbut removed them on day 25 so she could focus on the 2 chicks.
Is it possible for you to purchase a few day old chicks to slip under her when you remove the eggs?
She will likely adopt them as her own.

 

[kcarestia]

I'm sorry to hear this. I had a broody sitting on 4 eggs. 1 hatched on day 21, & 1 hatched on day 22. I left the other 2 under her, bbut removed them on day 25 so she could focus on the 2 chicks.
Is it possible for you to purchase a few day old chicks to slip under her when you remove the eggs?
She will likely adopt them as her own.

Thanks, I feel bad for mama! It turned out that 2 out of the 4 eggs weren't fertilized, the other contained a fully developed chick and I'm not sure why they didn't make it out. It's still pretty cool here so maybe they didn't have the strength to pip. Now I'm focusing on getting mama out of her broodiness - she seemed to have a great day free ranging but tonight headed back to the nesting box instead of roosting...