Your first concern right now is with the broody, and some typical broody rules:
1. Hens tend to brood about 3 to 4 weeks. Some hens if they still have nothing will remain brooding (Silkies are notorious). I've had some of my Silkies go almost 6 weeks (which you want to avoid as the hen really gets underweight). However others will definitely quit around day 23 to 25 whether they have chicks or not. So question no. 1 is how long will this particular hen brood? Do you have another broody hen as a backup if she stops brooding, or an incubator? You can't stuff partially developed eggs under a hen that just went broody as she may not accept chicks in 1 week. It takes time for the hormones to develop enough for them to shift from brooding to hatching and caretaking. Usually the soonest you can put developed eggs under a hen is 2 weeks with the eggs hatching in a couple of days.
2. Many broody hens do NOT like being moved away from their chosen broody nest. If you do, they'll pace and panic until they get back to the original nest, or you simply end up breaking their brood. Some hens constantly shift their nest, never making up their mind where they want to brood, leaving eggs unattended (and a poor outcome). You don't want to incur either of those situations. If you can move her, now is the time to try to get her to resettle to a new broody nest with DUD eggs. She will then hopefully settle into the new location. Some hens have to literally be blocked into their new location to stay and settle (with food and water nearby). So moving may not be optimal...especially since you are moving her and still hoping she will still sit 3 additional weeks. However, once the chicks hatch, dry and fluff, you can move momma and chicks anywhere you want as momma will stay with chicks.
3. Shipped eggs are always dicey. The get jumbled in the shipping, air sacs can be dislocated. I've had about 30 to 50% outcome with shipped eggs (which is considered really good for shipped eggs), so keep that in mind. I totally get buying eggs from
eBay to get a particular breed you want. (I've done that once). Check to make sure the breeder has good feedback comments. Often there are NO refunds with shipped eggs due to the issues with the mail carrier and the fact that they cannot guarantee a hatch. Too many factors are beyond their control. So if this is something you can attempt and walk away from if it fails, then it may be worth the try.
My thoughts.
LofMc
