HELP! I have 3 setting hens and its getting cold!

[Buxton Ducks]

I have 3 hens that have been sitting in their boxes and producing infertile eggs (one rooster is too old and 5 are too young). I put a few duck eggs under them and after candling them, I have 5 ducklings to be! It has been getting down to 30-40 every night and staying about 70 during the day. It will be much colder by the time they start to hatch (2 are due about october 5 and the other 3 should be the 12th). I would hate to seperate the little babies from their "moms" but would a brooder in the house be a safer option?

 

[Mahonri]

Can you put them in a separate spot in the coop with a heat lamp?

 

[Buxton Ducks]

I have no power going to the coop, I can move them to the brooder, but am afraid it will stress them out too much.

Here they are:


Blue is on the left and Edith on the right



Beatrice!

 

[HeatherLynn]

I have had super bad luck with moving laying hens. Honestly what I did last time is I put black rubber on the outside of the coop where the nesting boxes are. No breeze would be coming through at all and a bit of heat capture. We also stacked straw bales to block off that area so there was no cold breezes getting through and a bit more insulation. Then when the chicks hatched we moved mom and babies into the brooder. Mom can keep them warm is some pretty cold conditions.

 

[Buxton Ducks]

Two hens were fighting over a hatching egg this morning and it was 40 degrees so I have decided to brooder-raise them. The first hatched out about 5 minutes ago!