Selfsufficientish.com

We put some fertile eggs under a broody hen 10 or 11 days ago. She got off the eggs today at about 1pm as i was cleaning the roosts, and didn't return. I managed to borrow an incubator and they were warming back up by 4.30pm. Just wondering how much harm will have been done?

You may be lucky, I have had hens and ducks get off the nests and go off for a few hours before returning and they seem to hatch out ok. You could try candling one or two now and then look again in a few days and see if they have got any bigger, I use a high powered torch

Thanks for the reassurance. I may need to invest in a good torch. Using a head torch, they are fairly dark inside, but no real shape to the darkness. Not clear/translucent like the new eggs. This is the first time we have tried hatching eggs, so no real experience of looking inside. Should I be able to see a shape at 10 days? The eggs are now fairly dirty on the outside from the broody hen which makes it more difficult to see inside. I feel reluctant to take them back out of the incubator in case I do any more harm. Also the eggs were posted and from what I have read in other posts we may be lucky if any hatch successfully. 10 days to go till we find out for sure.

Well, does your incubator turn the eggs automatically, because if not, you will have to do it twice a day anyway, you won't do much harm if you have a good look. I have one of the million candle big torches, if you set it up in a dark place switch on the torch and hold the egg on its side very close to the torch glass, you should be able to see inside. For what it's worth, I have never had any luck at all with posted eggs. But I guess you will find out soon enough if anything is going to happen

All the eggs are developing, I just can't tell if they still are. Hatching day is Wednesday evening, or Thursday morning if hatching was delayed by the spell of no heat. Fingers crossed. We got cream legbar posted so sexing the chicks would be easy. Hopefully the fact that they have been developing is a good sign. Turning 3 times a day, and keeping humidity about 45. The temperature is at 38 not 37.5 but hopefully that won't matter too much. Will take them or the rack and stop turning on Monday, then listen out for cheeping.

I have had really good success with posted eggs, so it can be done.