My First Broody!

[Sydnee Fisher]

My Serama named Thelma just became broody for the first time! I don’t exactly now how old she is because I brought just last month at my last chicken show. I am wondering what the probability of the chances of it hatching outside in this weather. She’s not totally outside and has a heat lamp in with her but I am worried her first chick isn’t going to hatch. With that being said what do I do if he only egg is clear at 7 days? Thank you for any advice!
Here’s a picture of her with her first egg that she had at my house-

And her broody-

 

[AlleysChicks]

She’s very pretty! Good luck! If it’s clear then you could perhaps buy a few chicks to sneak under her?

 

[Sydnee Fisher]

She’s very pretty! Good luck! If it’s clear then you could perhaps buy a few chicks to sneak under her?

Problem is is that no one is really hatching chicks in the middle of winter

 

[AlleysChicks]

Problem is is that no one is really hatching chicks in the middle of winter

I’m lucky I guess. Rural king always has chicks to buy if I don’t want to toss some in the incubator.

 

[Eggsakly]

I feel your pain. I have just gone through a grueling few days keeping my first broody hen warm while her eggs hatch. It was zero degrees outside, and even with a well insulated building - a building, not a coop - for my chickens, I was stressed.

I'm new at this myself, and didn't candle my girl's eggs. I think they know, and if the egg is not good, they reject it. I trusted her, and so far we have three out of five chicks out and fluffed up. Maybe more by now. Two eggs remain, and we will see whether they are viable or not.

 

[Eggsakly]

My concern in your situation would be the hen stressing herself over the cold. I wouldn't want my broody and her nest outside at all if it is cold. Seramas, especially, cannot take cold that other chickens can. In my region they have to be wintered over in garages or spare rooms because they are so tiny.

If she is stressed by cold, she won't leave the egg enough to eat and drink, etc., and her health could suffer.

 

[Sydnee Fisher]

My concern in your situation would be the hen stressing herself over the cold. I wouldn't want my broody and her nest outside at all if it is cold. Seramas, especially, cannot take cold that other chickens can. In my region they have to be wintered over in garages or spare rooms because they are so tiny.

If she is stressed by cold, she won't leave the egg enough to eat and drink, etc., and her health could suffer.

She is in a barn in a coop with a heat lamp... Do you think she will still get stressed?

 

[Eggsakly]

A barn sounds good. That's my set up - a "barn," (a small one-room cabin/shop), with a coop inside and heat lamps.

I'm in Alaska, and the exact same set up here was stressful for my bantam Brahma when temps dropped to the teens outside. If it gets that cold again, I'm bringing her and the chicks in the house. I would never even try it with a Serama in my area. The Brahmas are known for being cold hardy.

 

[Sydnee Fisher]

A barn sounds good. That's my set up - a "barn," (a small one-room cabin/shop), with a coop inside and heat lamps.

I'm in Alaska, and the exact same set up here was stressful for my bantam Brahma when temps dropped to the teens outside. If it gets that cold again, I'm bringing her and the chicks in the house. I would never even try it with a Serama in my area. The Brahmas are known for being cold hardy.

Should I be worried that it went 0 last night... she seems fine it’s warm in there...

 

[Eggsakly]

It depends on the temperature. Zero sounds pretty cold to me. My chickens are in a single room, 12x14, that has 6 inch walls with standard insulation for houses, and double paned, argon-filled cold-weather windows. In short, it's a small building but it's built to the same standards as a house for this climate.

Zero was pretty hard on my girl. If I had it to do over, I would have set her up inside the house. I hesitated because I don't enjoy having chickens in the house. They don't eat and drink normally when they brood, and it takes a lot out of them. If they have to expend a lot of extra energy staying warm, too, it is very, very hard on them.

I plan on setting up my space better than I have it now for the future, having made the mistakes I made this first time. Since I have bantams, I expect that there will be more broody hens in my future, or this one will want to do it again. I may have to create an insulated area within the insulated room, one that can be heated easily with a small amount of heat.

Personally, I would prefer to be safe than sorry. Maybe others with more experience than I have can offer some advice.