some questions about a broody hatch-

[Kelly FG]

its day 20, my BO has 6 welsummer eggs under her, after candling several days ago I believe 5 are good-the other looked infertile so I marked it & left it with her.
Last night my darling DH left the side window of the coop wide open

-thank god no predators realized, but its been cold here in NY. Do you think the cold, damp temps will negatively affect my broody & her ability to hatch those eggs?
Also is the last day like an incubator-should I resist the urge to lift her up & check those eggs?
How will I know when we've got pip?
when the babies first hatch she will keep them under her till they fluff right?
My red star who is at the bottom of the pecking order is staying in the coop today on the roost, I'm not sure if she knows the babies are going to hatch or if she's just tired of the rain. My girls NEVER stay inside during the day.

 

[Judy]

No I don't think the cold or rain will affect the hatch. You'll know when you hear the peeping. I heard my first broody chick before it hatched, peeping through the shell. You can peek if you must but she would probably rather you did not. The red star is interesting -- maybe she knows and will help mama, be a second mama. Yes, she will keep them under her for a day or so.

 

[Kelly FG]

thanks for the quick reply ddawn, I'm scratching my head about my red star, really weird.

 

[basicliving]

The cold won't affect the mother's ability to hatch. I am constantly amazed at the ability of a broody mom to regulate the temp in her nest. Last week I had some chicks hatch out and a couple days before hand it was very hot - I saw the mom squatting above the eggs and panting for several minutes and I'm sure she was allowing the eggs to cool a bit. The babies hatched just fine. I've also had broodies setting on eggs when the daytime high temp was 20 degrees. They had a 100% hatch rate and everyone was fine.

Although the mamas don't care for it one bit (and let me know about it!) I lift them and check for pips, zips, and peeps every couple of hours. I also remove the shells once the babies hatch. So far my broodies have hatched out 17 chicks this year, and they are all doing just fine.

Best of luck - let us know when you start seeing those baby peeps!