When is the best time for hatching eggs???

bossynbella

Songster
12 Years
Aug 11, 2007
945
3
163
Iowa
We use the silky's to hatch out our eggs last year we didn't decide to hatch any out till August I feel like that was to late it didn't give them much time to enjoy the world before it snowed.

However how soon is to soon??? We usually remove the babys as soon as they are hatched and put them under a heat lamp. But was wondering if it would matter if they hatched in the cold???

Will the hen keep them warm enough?????
 
In your climate I would wait till late Feb or March. Mama's do raise broods here in the winter but it is hard on them when we get sub freezing temps. If you are thinking of an early hatch I would plan on brooding them under a heat lamp. I lost a baby that was 5 days old a few weeks ago. It was with two other siblings under a broody and it got down to the high 20's during the night and I found it dead in the morning.
 
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Hatching with a broody in the cold temps is tricky. you have to be able to get them quickly and make sure they can't fall out of nest away from Mom. I definitly would not leave any for the mama hen to tend during the cold. They can get cold quick and dioriented as to where mama hen is.
 
Yeah I think Ill wait till February at least.
We don't leave the chicks with the hen once they are hatched. We remove them and put them in a small pen with a heat lamp. Last year ours where all hatched in Aug, but we didn't loose any.

Just so eager to have more babys!!!
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Guess I have to wait till the hens start setting again anyway.

Sometimes I wish I had an Incubator.
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