Have a Game bantam hen SITTING on 5 fertile eggs in the middle of winter. Will the chicks make it if

ChelseysChicken

Songster
6 Years
Jun 1, 2013
318
19
108
North TX
Is there anything I can do to help the hen. Should I supplement heat with a lamp?
This is my first flock of chicks I got them in the spring 2013. She is my only hen that has wanted to SIT so far and Im worried with it being winter. Any advice is appreciated!
 
I had a Muscovy duck decide to sit on eggs this fall. I let her.
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now, in hindsight, since it was so cold when she was sitting (20s to 40s), I should have taken out a few of the eggs so that I knew for sure she could cover them all well (I let her sit on 17). Also, in hindsight, as soon as most hatched, I should have taken those that weren't yet hatched, into the house, and kept them warm until they hatched, and then reintroduced them.

Other than those two points, she did fine.

She actually managed to properly cover all of those eggs, but three were just a bit slower than the rest. Once all the other eggs were hatched, she was no longer tightly sitting on the last three, and two of the three chilled too much mid-hatch and died. I managed to save one.

I did have her in a completely draft free area. Once the ducklings hatched I did put in a heat lamp, but it had also gotten colder. We went down to 5F.

My power went out once, and she just crammed all of the ducklings (11 made it) under her. I think they might actually have been fine if I had never put in the heat lamp.

I put the heat lamp next to the food and water so the ducklings wouldn't get chilled while eating and drinking.
 
I had a Muscovy duck decide to sit on eggs this fall. I let her.
roll.png


now, in hindsight, since it was so cold when she was sitting (20s to 40s), I should have taken out a few of the eggs so that I knew for sure she could cover them all well (I let her sit on 17). Also, in hindsight, as soon as most hatched, I should have taken those that weren't yet hatched, into the house, and kept them warm until they hatched, and then reintroduced them.

Other than those two points, she did fine.

She actually managed to properly cover all of those eggs, but three were just a bit slower than the rest. Once all the other eggs were hatched, she was no longer tightly sitting on the last three, and two of the three chilled too much mid-hatch and died. I managed to save one.

I did have her in a completely draft free area. Once the ducklings hatched I did put in a heat lamp, but it had also gotten colder. We went down to 5F.

My power went out once, and she just crammed all of the ducklings (11 made it) under her. I think they might actually have been fine if I had never put in the heat lamp.

I put the heat lamp next to the food and water so the ducklings wouldn't get chilled while eating and drinking.
She made it! She has successfully hatched 4/5 of her very first clutch!! We are both very proud! Even with 2 wks in the Teens!
 
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