No chirps or pips from eggs (Day 21) under broody hen

[RandomPanda]

Our broody hen has four remaining eggs under her that are due to hatch today, but we haven’t heard any chirps and don’t see any pips. This is concerning as two eggs broke in the nest on Day 17-18 and the broody hen left the eggs for a few hours until she dried off. The eggs are also quite dirty — should I wait to candle the eggs? Are any even viable at this point?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Wait another 24 hours. Messy eggs still hatch. Leaving a few hours may have slowed them down a little, but will not likely have killed them. (I had a hen get locked out of a nest for 6 hours on a cold day and still had hatches...albeit at a 50% rate instead of my normal 80 to 100%).

If after day 23 they have not hatched, they are not likely to. You can candle and examine then.

LofMc