when do YOU take out unhatched eggs?

[sugarjax06]

I had a bunch of eggs under a broody hen - 7 hatched out (i died due to a freak accident - moms feather wrapped around it's neck?!) Anyways, 3 eggs left and I could tell she wasn't going to sit on them once I put food in the area for the hatched babies. So I took them into the bator - Babies were all hatched by Tuesday under mom.
This morning (Fri) I went in to check the bator for signs of life and didn't see anything so I unplugged it. Then i decided I was going to crack open the eggs since it seemed like one at least was very developed. I picked it up and on the bottom side there was a pip and it started to chirp at me. Surprise!

I still have 2 eggs in there but when I candled them they looked a lot 'younger' than the others before hatching. So how long do you give your eggs??

 

[TayFray!]

well i say make a small crack, where the other crack is on the other egg. just a small one, then if it is moving/alive/breathing leave it be, if not slowly crack it until it is revealed and then you can tell! may want to leave it another day though, but if it doesnt look right dont keep it!

 

[sugarjax06]

I was just curious if people leave them be for a few days, a week? I always left them for 2-3 days after the first started hatching and by then, all were out. This was the first time I've ever had 'left over' eggs

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Three days after the first one hatched I take everything out.

 

[mlward]

I'm having the same quandry right now. I had the 2 broodies in an enclosure together sharing 6 eggs (they would steal them back & forth). I had dated the 1st of the 6 and that was 4/30, so I knew about the 21st I would see some chicks. Sure enough, 2 hatched that day, then nothing. A couple days later, we peeked under the girls to see who had what left. The orp had 2 and the bantam brahma (surprise!) had 8!!! Guess the other girls were sneaking in and laying eggs. I left 3 with the orp and brought the rest in to check. One was smelly (tossed!), the others all appear to be in various stages of development. I guess my question is how long do I keep those? I put the 5 in the bator, but the 26 other eggs in there are due to go into lockdown tomorrow night. I don't know how far along they are, so I don't know when to quit turning, when to bump the humidity... And the 3 I left with the broody; how long to leave them and if they don't hatch at all, how to get the orp up and off the nest? Do I just take away the eggs and toss her out into the run with the others? Sigh, what I have to contend with!

LOL!

 

[Greenleggedhatch]

I usually wait 4- 5 days before pulling them out, but I'll also check them to see if anything is going on inside of them.