Moving broody hen

[Stephaniejoy]

Last week while I was at work my broody hen decided to move back to the coop. I had moved her out of her nest box to a private fenced area. I have no idea how she got out. But she did and moved back. I found her eggs cold. They could have left for 5 hours. I quickly put the eggs under her and she has now sat for 3 days.
My questions A) will the eggs be viable? B)we are at day 18 can I move her back tonight?
Thx!

 

[DobieLover]

Last week while I was at work my broody hen decided to move back to the coop. I had moved her out of her nest box to a private fenced area. I have no idea how she got out. But she did and moved back. I found her eggs cold. They could have left for 5 hours. I quickly put the eggs under her and she has now sat for 3 days.
My questions A) will the eggs be viable? B)we are at day 18 can I move her back tonight?
Thx!

How long had she been at the new nest site when she went back to the coop?
For me, it typically takes about 3 days before the hen grafts to the new nest site and will religiously return to it. I will lock them into the area to ensure she cannot go back to where she began being broody.
Either the eggs are viable or not. You'll find out soon enough.
Is she in a spot that is safe for the chicks after they hatch? As in, they won't fall out of the nest. If so, leave her. After the hatch is over, move them to the ground. She won't care at that point about going back to the actual nest. She will just want a place she can tuck herself and her brood in each night until she is ready to integrate them into the flock on the roost.
Broodies need the water to cool their bodies off during the actual hatch. That is what my broody is doing in this picture. She kept taking sips of water out of the bottle and panting to cool off.

 

[Stephaniejoy]

It had only been a couple days in the new spot. Just went to check her and found a dead chick laying on the edge of the nest box. Kind of bloody. Not sure what happened. Poor baby. But on the bright side they appear to have developed. No others seem to be broken. Thx for the advice!