Too late?

[Sgsf]

My dad says that my hen want a certain amount of eggs in her egglaying spot before she sits. Is this true? And by the time she has all the eggs she wants, wouldn't it be too late to sit on them?

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Yes & no! Yes, she will, usually, collect a few before setting. No, the eggs won't go bad, they should be good for almost 2 weeks.

 

[Kittymomma]

Hens go broody when they feel like it and having eggs in the nest doesn't really matter. I do have hens that will hide nests to collect eggs in when they're "thinking" about going broody, but if I find the nest and remove the eggs they'll still go broody in an empty nest box sitting on nothing but shavings. Some breeds are far more likely then others to go broody then others. A leghorn hen might go broody, but it's not very likely while an Orpington, Australorp or Silkie is quite likely to go broody at some point. What breed(s) of chickens do you have?

They are also more likely to go broody in the Spring and early summer, but a dedicated broody hen may get the urge in the dead of winter...They're notional creatures but I wouldn't waste eggs by leaving them in the nestbox. You're far more likely to have eggs get broken accidently when the hens get in and out to lay on the big pile of eggs and that can lead to egg eating hens.

ETA: You could leave a pile of fake eggs in the nest to humor your dad while avoiding wasting eggs and the possibility of having them get broken and the hens learning that fresh eggs are good to eat.