is it safe to let a broody hen hatch a chick in winter?

[jen3991]

We hatched 2 chicks in around may and one of them started laying around 2 months ago. She has now decided to go broody and while we believe she has stopped laying her sister has just started to lay so she is sitting on her eggs. We have been taking the eggs away from her but it doesnt seem to be stopping her broodyness. She has been broody for approximately 3 to 4 weeks. I was just wondering if we got her a Fertilised egg to sit on is it safe for it to hatch in winter? It will be the 1st week in march when it hatches if we did so hopefully be a bit warmer. At the moment though the temperature ranges from around -2 over night up to around 5 to 7 degrees in the day. The eggs she has been sitting on are normally warm when I take them away so dont think their coop is too cold?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Depending on your location, you should be fine adding eggs now. The hen will do all the work and keep the chicks warm. They're not really that fragile.
Removing eggs won't break a broody. A determined setter will sit whether they have eggs or not.
To quickly break a broody they need to go in a wire bottomed elevated cage to cool their underside.