Eggs under a broody hen

From: Jay (j_green156_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 07/06/04 

Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2004 22:13:05 +0100

How long can eggs that have been under a broody hen be left without her
keeping them warm?

My original broody suddenly decided enough was enough and I had to swap her
with a Barnie who was still broody despite having been in the sin bin a
couple of days.

Before the swap the eggs were uncovered for a couple of hours. That was
yesterday. The Barnie seems ok but some of the eggs keep falling out of the
nest. I need to sort something out tomorrow but I wonder if it is worth it.
On both occasions the eggs are outside the pophole on the grass. And each
time they had got cold before I realised.

Your help for a very novice egg hatcher is very much appreciated.

Jay
Devon, England

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