can you hatch eggs in winter?

[djmooney]

my oegb hen started laying eggs a few weeks ago and want to hatch some badly. But its cold now and i was wondering if that would effect the outcome. And she isnt setting on the eggs so the eggs might be cold by the time i get home from school. could that change anything?

This is my first time so its more of an experiment than anything so i was wondering if anybody could help me out. the incubator i have is old and i don't know much about that either. how warm do you keep the eggs

 

[Wynette]

If she's not setting on the eggs almost all day long, she won't be able to hatch them.

Temp. depends on the type of incubator (still air? Circulated air?) If you do a search on here or check out the "incubating eggs" section, you'll find lots of info. on hatching. It's a great idea to check there first to see if you can find the answers, then, if not, ask. Good luck!

 

[Akane]

Of course you could hatch eggs in an incubator (provided we aren't putting too small of incubator outside where it wouldn't hold temp) but what are you going to do with the chicks? Your hen probably won't go broody so she won't hatch them and she won't care for the chicks. You will have to provide them heat probably all winter long because it's only going to get colder and they won't feather fast enough. I'm probably going to have 5 or 6 bantam chicks in the basement all winter because I will not be able to safely adjust them to our outdoor weather.

 

[djmooney]

i was planing on incubating them inside. I was just wondering if the egg gets laid in the morning and i dont get it in the incubator until after school.

 

[muddstopper]

If the eggs dont freeze before you gather them, then they should be alright to incubate. If you do hatch chicks, be prepared to care for them until warm weather or they featherout completely.

 

[mamawolf544]

Yes as long as the eggs dont freeze.
I hatch eggs in the winter but it is a pain. I have quail and button quail, BO's, Aracaunas and I am waiting for my Lav Orp's to hatch. And I will be keeping them in the majority of the winter.

 

[farmin'chick]

You want to save up your eggs at room temperature -- up to a week's worth -- and start them all at once when you incubate, instead of starting an egg every day.

 

[rosco]

farmin'chick :

You want to save up your eggs at room temperature -- up to a week's worth -- and start them all at once when you incubate, instead of starting an egg every day.

Great Point! store at 55-65 degrees F. i've got some eggs in plastic bags, in an egg carton so i can turn them, and all this is wrapped in a towel in a cold part of the house. i've a thermometer in the towel to make sure temperature is correct. i turn the eggs every day by propping up one side or the other side. it is best to store under one week i hear, but up to two weeks is purportedly okay!

If you've an incubator, maybe it would be easiest to post a photo, or just get the model if it has one. once some experienced people here see what you have to work with, many questions will be answered. make sure to include things that aren't apparent in photo: fan, air holes, insulation, light bulb wattage, type of thermostat, etc. also, include the conditions of where you'll keep the incubator: temperature, air flow, humidity.

temperature must be between 99.5 - 100.5 F. above 102 the eggs don't do so well. somehow, my incubator has been sitting at exactly 100F for several days. i'm now using an Acurite thermometer/hygrometer and a human thermometer (hope my fiance' doesn't read this).

Humidity: this totally depends on the system you have. try to post or describe what i listed above and an expert should tell you what a proper humidity would be. simple rule, the higher the air flow and lower the humidity of incoming air, the higher the humidity. only a person more experienced than me would know what it would be for your model.

sounds like you could store your eggs and have an incubator stabilized to run by the weekend. make sure to get the right conditions, temperature and humidity, to stay constant for at least more than one day. two i think is best.

good luck if you give this a shot.

rosco
ps. i'm on my sixth day of our first hatch. i've learned a lot from making lots of mistakes and having to correct them in the middle of an incubation. but this will make for a great second incubation!​

 

[oldorchardfarm]

have humidity around 68-70% and on day 18 you will want to up it to around 75-80% this is pretty standard but can very a tad,also very important to not turn eggs the last 3 day keep the inc in lockdown.If you need to up the humidity do it with a dropper syringe ect. make sure you let the eggs settle with the small end down 2 days before you incubate. and put in turners small end down. happy hatching.