FOR RECORD BOOK, EGGS INCUBATED BY HEATWAVE

[centrarchid]

I have pens out with hens for the collection of hatching eggs for incubator. Only a single hen in each pen and in most cases the hen gets with a rooster once every third day. A couple of the American Dominique hens are now being expected to hatch their own otherwise they will not have offspring carried over into next generation, even from those coming out of incubator.

One of the hens now brooding for just a single week has hatched a chick. Egg could have been post-lay for a goodi month. We have had lots of heat during day with highs ranging from 98 to 107 F but lows were getting down into middle seventies.

Actual onset and duration of incubation not known but normal incubation was only for last week. Chick appears normal. I will very likely get a seriously scattered brood over time which is going to be a management headache and a half. Hen will not be able to rear brood as planned and disease management for brooder is going to be very much complicated as new birds will be constantly added. I may have seen this a couple time before with games brooding in loft with wet hay (fire hazard in own right).

 

[Life is Good!]

We've got a broody hen with a 2day old chick - I thought she had deserted the nest, but after careful watching for the past 3 days (and candling egg), I rather believe that she leaves the nest in order to AVOID overheating the egg!

Yes, daytime temps are hovering at 100. So if she were to sit, I suspect that the egg would be 'baked' by her over-heating body. If the hen's temp naturally is about 100, then when she's overheating (panting, standing with wings aloft), her temps could rise to lethal levels for the egg. She knows what she's doing - I didn't catch on until yesterday!

Congrads on your new chick! Hope your management issues are less than what you fear.

 

[centrarchid]

We've got a broody hen with a 2day old chick - I thought she had deserted the nest, but after careful watching for the past 3 days (and candling egg), I rather believe that she leaves the nest in order to AVOID overheating the egg!

Yes, daytime temps are hovering at 100. So if she were to sit, I suspect that the egg would be 'baked' by her over-heating body. If the hen's temp naturally is about 100, then when she's overheating (panting, standing with wings aloft), her temps could rise to lethal levels for the egg. She knows what she's doing - I didn't catch on until yesterday!

Congrads on your new chick! Hope your management issues are less than what you fear.

Until about 10 days ago I had a hen nesting on ground in full sunlight within the middle of feild. I placed a pen over her to keep predators off and dog had her as part of patrol route so she was safe in that regard. Whenever I placed a shade over her she would go off nest so I left her uncovered. During this interval it got up to 105 F in shade so her situation was likely more hot. She excused herself from nest frequently for water but otherwise stayed on. She appeared to actually raise herself off eggs but still provided shade during hottest part of day. Hen did a great deal of panting but otherwise stuck to exposed location. She appeared less stressed than hen in nest boxes that blocked direct and breeze.

 

[mstricer]

Mine just hovers over her nest. She has a week left. Our temps have been in upper 90's with high heat index. I have two hens with chicks. Our run has become over run with weeds, a blessing in disquise, it offers shade to the little bantam chicks and lots of bugs and all are blooming with seed. So I am going to leave it.

 

[Nsampsel]

Until about 10 days ago I had a hen nesting on ground in full sunlight within the middle of feild. I placed a pen over her to keep predators off and dog had her as part of patrol route so she was safe in that regard. Whenever I placed a shade over her she would go off nest so I left her uncovered. During this interval it got up to 105 F in shade so her situation was likely more hot. She excused herself from nest frequently for water but otherwise stayed on. She appeared to actually raise herself off eggs but still provided shade during hottest part of day. Hen did a great deal of panting but otherwise stuck to exposed location. She appeared less stressed than hen in nest boxes that blocked direct and breeze.

Sounds as tho she was trying to shield the eggs from the sun but raising up to keep her direct body heat off of them. If the sun shade had been over her she probably would have sat next to them more rather than on them to stabili2e temps. The hens in the boxes didn't have the airflow that the one in the field had so were probably just as hot or hotter than the bird in the sun who was using herself as a sunshade for the eggs.

 

[bobzant]

I have a hen that only sits on her eggs in the evening/night, and gets out first thing in the morning, occasionally her or another hen will be sitting on them when i go out. temps have been over 100 degrees for a week now and looks like we have another week coming, do you guys think they will still hatch?

 

[Nsampsel]

I think your hens know exactly what they are doing & are only sitting when temps outside require it. I wouldn't worry a bit about them except for them possibly getting TOO hot.