How are Chicken Eggs Fertilized

How are Chicken Eggs Fertilized:
7 days for sperm to reach the infundibulum
The sperm can remain there viable for 7 days
A yolk will enter the infundibulum every 24 to 36 hours
The yolk gets surrounded by the egg white in the magnum, whereas the formation of the shell membrane starts in the isthmus. From there the yolk (covered with egg white) travels to the shell gland, where the shell formation is completed and the shell gets hardened. The egg is ready to be laid, which is usually done in the middle of the day. Once the fertilized egg is laid, the hen is ready to start with the formation of a new egg.


Using a tube with a flashlight called a candler to check for fertilization.  An egg that has been in an incubator, or sat on by a hen for a couple days will have a darkening of part of the yolk, after 3-5 days you'll see veining.
Usually hens lay a lot of eggs before going broody. I’ve seen hens hide a nest and lay 18 eggs before starting to brood. But you never know.  When a hen is truly broody they will stop laying eggs.




If you put other eggs under her, remember that it takes about 21 days for eggs to hatch. If you start eggs a day or two apart, she might hatch them all or she might not. When the first chicks that hatch are ready to leave the nest to get food and water, she will abandon any unhatched eggs and let them die. She will take care of the living chicks.  The hen will raise the chicks for about 6 weeks, and then loose interest.

It is best to collect all the eggs you want her to hatch and start them at the same time.  You can keep fertilized eggs at temperatures between 40-70 degrees for up to two weeks before beginning incubation.   And mark them so you know which ones they are. You need to check under her daily to remove any other eggs that might show up. The other hens may lay in the nest with her or she may steal eggs from another nest and bring them back to her nest.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_can_you_stop_a_broody_hen_from_being_broody

The broody hen just wants to be left alone and if she is bothered too much she will stop brooding. Keep her occupied and away from the nest she has chosen. Remove any and all eggs, move her as often as possible and bother her, making her uncomfortable.