Second round for brooding chicken?

[GrammysChickens]

Hi Everyone,

I have a chicken who has been sitting on eggs for about 22 days. Unfortunately, we had a terrible rain storm and the eggs ended up getting wet all night long. I dried them off the next morning and replaced their wet bedding with fresh bedding. At 22 days, there are no air holes, and I believe at least one of the eggs smells rotten. However, my broody chicken was still patiently awaiting the arrival of her babies until she abandoned the nest today and went to sit upon another clutch of fertilized eggs. Can she make it another 21 days? Or should I try to break her broodiness?

 

[nchls school]

Hi Everyone,

I have a chicken who has been sitting on eggs for about 22 days. Unfortunately, we had a terrible rain storm and the eggs ended up getting wet all night long. I dried them off the next morning and replaced their wet bedding with fresh bedding. At 22 days, there are no air holes, and I believe at least one of the eggs smells rotten. However, my broody chicken was still patiently awaiting the arrival of her babies until she abandoned the nest today and went to sit upon another clutch of fertilized eggs. Can she make it another 21 days? Or should I try to break her broodiness?

I have often used broody hens to hatch muscovey ducklings that take 5 weeks to hatch; you're thinking of six weeks. There is a health concern here to think about. Also, my silkie broody hens stop setting around five weeks so there's the possibility that the hen will abandon her nest before the eggs hatch. When I was a teenager I remember bantam hens brooding for two and three months.