Quote: My serama are broody crazy. 8-10 eggs are laid in a nest, brooding begins, eggs hatch in 19-20 days, chicks are reared for 3 weeks and egg laying starts again. Winter clutches do just as well as spring clutches. We moved here to TN from WI four months ago. While in WI I had many winter clutches hatch and do well. As long as temp is above freezing (and even below) my serama hatched and raised chicks successfully. While in WI I strived to keep the coop temperature around 40-50 degrees F. If your porch is in this temp range or above-no reason to wait for spring. Damp clothes are what I used on the outside of the nest boxes where eggs were being brooded to keep winter humidity up as you do-no incubators for me though.
We brought this silkied serama hen into the house when it became obvious her feathering did not hold in heat as the weather became colder. She continued to lay eggs and last week became broody-in a 25 gallon plastic tub with a salad bowl for a nest. The hen is brooding four eggs; her first brooding attempt. Tennessee-temps as low as 14 degrees F. Several of my hens have chicks ranging in age between two months and two weeks. Five more hens are brooding. The next clutch is due to hatch 1/1; New Year's Day. Winter has not slowed broodiness in my flock at all.
