What age range for eggs in one clutch?

[Lamoor]

I have a very broody Buff Orpington hen sitting on now..9 eggs.
I have been putting them under her as they have been laid (some EEs, some LOs)..from last Tues until today, and she rolls them under her as she receives them.

What is the optimal timeframe for giving her eggs? Having a clutch of eggs from 1 - 8 days old, is that ok?

 

[JanO]

I wouldn't give her any more. As soon as some hatch she will abandon the nest after a couple of days to care for the chicks she has. If you continue to add eggs some of them won't have time to hatch even if they are viable. Nine eggs is a good size clutch.

 

[Lamoor]

no I won't be giving her any more..oh dear, worried now that she will reject some.

 

[JanO]

Even when they lay all the eggs in a single clutch the odds of all of them hatching is very slim. Out of the 9 that you have under her now she will probably hatch out 4 or 5, give or take. In the 30something years that I've had chickens and many broody hen hatches, I don't think I've ever had one hatch out 100% of a clutch with more than a couple of eggs. The higher the number of eggs under the hen, the lower the hatch percentage rate. At least that's been my experience. The last hen I had sit on a larger clutch of 12 eggs only hatched out 5 of them. As a result I try to keep a lower number of eggs under the hen and incubate a lot of them inside.

I want to add that sometimes it's just that some of the eggs aren't viable. For whatever reason they die without explanation, even with the hen being vigilant about taking care of them..

 

[JanO]

no I won't be giving her any more..oh dear, worried now that she will reject some.

She will only abandon the nest for the sake of the chicks she's already hatched. Her instinct to take them to food and water will take over after they are a couple of days old. If you can, put some food and water close to the nest, that may prolong her sitting long enough to increase the hatch rate.

 

[Lamoor]

thanks, I have water and cracked corn and sometimes a little fruit right where she can get to it and she is having some of that..

The only other time I had a broody hen was about 10 yrs ago in Denmark. My hen killed some of her hatchlings and I ended up brooding them in the house after the rest hatched. But this BO girl, is so determined and focused, ha ha, and she is pretty happy in the giant dog crate on my screened porch, I don't think she will do that. She can see the outdoors and get fresh air, but has peace and quiet.

 

[Meld75]

I have one hem that has disappeared the last 2 nights And didn't come home to roost. After searching today I found her in the timber on a clutch of 18 eggs. I know they won't hatch because they have not been fertilized. So I throw them all out and chase her off the best or what? I don't want the coons or fox we have out here to get her.