Sporadically setting on eggs

[PeaFan]

When a peahen is deciding on whether or not to set on her eggs, she spends most of the day on the nest and then will leave at night or sporadically during the day. My question is if that interrupts the development of the eggs so much as to make them “bad”?

 

[sourland]

@casportpony can you help here?

 

[Faisal12]

I don’t believe this will disrupt the development process at all. It’s similar to chickens going broody—they leave their nests briefly to eat and drink before returning to sit on their eggs. Additionally, since it’s summer and the weather is already warm, the eggs will remain at an adequate temperature even when the peahen steps away to eat and drink.

 

[KsKingBee]

When a peahen is deciding on whether or not to set on her eggs, she spends most of the day on the nest and then will leave at night or sporadically during the day. My question is if that interrupts the development of the eggs so much as to make them “bad”?

Until she decides it is time to start incubating in earnest, she will not heat up. I have a hen right now that is still adding eggs to her clutch but she spends most of the day sitting on the eggs, I think she is protecting them until she decides she has enough eggs to start brooding. When I feel the eggs under her they are not warm yet. A good sign to note is when she finally does go broody is she will flatten out on the nest.

 

[PeaFan]

Thanks for your replies - took her a couple of days but she has committed. She stopped coming off the nest yesterday! Yay!

 

[KsKingBee]

Here is a hen that has been broody for a couple of weeks. All four hens in that pen contributed to her clutch, I have no idea how many eggs she has but when hens flatten out like this they can cover more eggs and keep them all warm.