is it too cold for hatching eggs?

Date sort Score sort
fizzymum

fizzymum

Hatching
Sep 25, 2015
7
0
7
Wigan, Lancashire, England
Hi All, I love this site and i've got so much fantastic info that I thought it was time I joined in! I'm new to keeping chickens, we got 8 girls about 3 months ago, but just as they've all started laying, 3 have gone broody!! So I've bought some fertilised eggs and they are all happily sitting on them. But now I'm wondering if it's too late to hatch out chicks coz it might be too cold for them? I live in the Uk, northwest not many miles away from Manchester, what do you fabulous experts think??
 
Well at the moment it's about 14degrees Celsius during the day and about 6 at night, during Dec and Jan it gets down to about -10 at night. Each hen and chicks will be in their own little coop with food and water and an outside run which will be well sheltered?
 
Integrating the chicks will go much smoother if the broody hens aren't kept in complete isolation from the main flock. Your temps are fairly mild for chickens. I've got 3, 1 month old chicks outside in a coop with no supplemental heat in similar temperatures. Last night got down to 42* F. They are very nearly completely feathered in, and were fine. Just be prepared to brood the chicks indoors, if it turns out that the broodies are very good mothers. Not all broodies are good moms. I just had one hatch chicks last week. She had troubling keep track of 5 chicks, and she wasn't doing a good job of protecting them. I pulled them all and am brooding indoors, until they are feathered in enough to go out to the growout coop.
 
I've put their little coops and runs in the main run so the chickens can all see each other, hopefully that will make integration much smoother...a tip I got from BYC!! I was hoping they'd be ok and the hens would naturally keep the chicks warm! We do have a stable I could put them all in if the mum's are struggling. Thanks for your help, as always BYC comes tofthe Rescue!
 
Thanks, I'll let you know how I get on! They've only been sitting on the eggs for 3 days so a while to go yet! I just hope they don't give up before the eggs hatch??!!! But they do seem very determined, considering they are still.so young!!
 
Just be sure they continue to eat, drink and poo. If they won't leave the nest - you have to make them 2 or 3 times a day, just to tend to their needs. Some hens are so fiercely determined they will not leave the nest and the outcome for them is not very good. What breeds are they? Silkies, tend to be the best broodies, then maybe cochins, and buff orpingtons, etc. Sending good hatching vibes your way
jumpy.gif
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom