Should I remove a few??

[BearsDen]

Ok when my broody had 6 eggs in a clutch I added 5 more of different breeds...she seemed to be collecting eggs and not sitting on them yet so I thought it would be ok...everyday she has been adding to them and rearranging all of them completely so I thought any day now she would start incubating however the clutch keeps growing and this morning she layed the 17th one seems to be protecting them but not sitting to incubate....should I remove some eggs or just let her do her thing? She is a Barred Rock if that matters.

 

[mixedbreeds]

I have had fairly poor luck with anything over 10 eggs under a broody. I know some do well with a dozen but the more I put under mine the less chicks I seem to get. So I stick with 9 or 10 eggs now and I normally have black copper Marans or Welsummer broodys

 

[Keeperofmunchkins]

Generally a dozen or so is the maximum eggs for a hen to hatch not just because of how many she can cover but also, if laid herself, the first egg will be around 2 weeks old before she begins sitting. Eggs are best incubated at less than a week old, but up to 2 weeks is OK. After 2 weeks from when laid, the eggs become significant less likely to develop properly and hatch. So I would not leave any eggs older than 2 weeks in the nest.

However - if your hen is not sitting on the nest all day and night except for one or two toilet/food breaks, she is NOT broody. She might go broody tomorrow, or next week, or never. Has she hatched eggs before?

 

[BearsDen]

Generally a dozen or so is the maximum eggs for a hen to hatch not just because of how many she can cover but also, if laid herself, the first egg will be around 2 weeks old before she begins sitting. Eggs are best incubated at less than a week old, but up to 2 weeks is OK. After 2 weeks from when laid, the eggs become significant less likely to develop properly and hatch. So I would not leave any eggs older than 2 weeks in the nest.

However - if your hen is not sitting on the nest all day and night except for one or two toilet/food breaks, she is NOT broody. She might go broody tomorrow, or next week, or never. Has she hatched eggs before?

Yes she recently hatched her first clutch March 20th, after a week or so of her being with the chicks she went back to the flock...last week started collecting eggs again from herself and our other hen (I added in 5 from a friend earlier in the collection to get a variety from the hatch but then she and my other hen kept laying more),oldest egg is probably 8 days old...she was sitting on them when I left the house this morning so I’ll see if she is when I get back. I’ve been anticipating her laying on them any day now