Mama chicken got off her eggs! HELP

[camachofarms]

So I had a hen go broody and she got 7 eggs together before she sat. The first chick hatched yesterday morning in a real narrow space up high in the barn. I'm guessing the baby chick fell out to the floor because in the afternoon/early evening the baby and the mama chicken were out walking around. We moved them into a chicken coop all alone to protect her from our other 30 hens and moved the rest of her eggs (6) with her but I'm not sure how long exactly she was off of her eggs. I'm worried she was off her eggs to long and now the others won't hatch because still no more babies have hatched today. How long can the mama chicken be off of her eggs before she goes back to them and they will still hatch? We have had chickens for about 4 years but this is the first time we have had a chicken go broody and hatched our own eggs!! Please help!!

 

[PD-Riverman]

So I had a hen go broody and she got 7 eggs together before she sat. The first chick hatched yesterday morning in a real narrow space up high in the barn. I'm guessing the baby chick fell out to the floor because in the afternoon/early evening the baby and the mama chicken were out walking around. We moved them into a chicken coop all alone to protect her from our other 30 hens and moved the rest of her eggs (6) with her but I'm not sure how long exactly she was off of her eggs. I'm worried she was off her eggs to long and now the others won't hatch because still no more babies have hatched today. How long can the mama chicken be off of her eggs before she goes back to them and they will still hatch? We have had chickens for about 4 years but this is the first time we have had a chicken go broody and hatched our own eggs!! Please help!!

We are like you----we can not tell how long she stayed off them. How long she can stay off them has so many variables. A few hours on a warm day??

Having raised chickens most all of my 60+ years let me give you a piece of advice---always Collect eggs from EVERY nest--Every day. No matter if a hen is on the nest or not. No matter how much she blows up at you----if you have to get you a welders glove. Now when you notice a hen is staying on the nest---sleeping in the nest---acting broody----If you want to set her--YOU collect her some eggs and if you are leaving her with the flock---Mark those eggs good. Every day when you collect eggs---tilt her and check to see if she has fresh eggs---unmarked under her and collect if so. I do this until day 19 then I leave her alone until after she hatches and gets off the nest. Doing this will insure that all her fertile eggs will hatch usually within 24 hours of each other. Then when she gets off the nest with all her hatched chicks you can discard any eggs that might have been layed in the last 2 or 3 days. Why day 19?? Because she is usually locked down to increase the moisture for the hatch so I do Not Tilt or bother her during that time. Good Luck