when should you stop incubating for the winter?

[nicoletm24]

is it bad to have hatches while its so cold? since the babies would get MUCH colder if in an outside brooder. I might do one more hatch after this one thats due in a couple weeks. but worried about anymore, since there will be snow come january.


any tips would be great!

 

[jerseygirl1]

I stopped in May due to the humidity issues here, and will probably start again in December - I had better hatch rates in February and March than any other time of year

 

[bargain]

I don't stop! Last winter we had snow and babies and it worked out fine. I just have to remember to keep the humidity up as usually winter air is a little drier but not too much in our house as we only heat one room! Have a blessed one. Nancy

 

[nicoletm24]

Quote:
good to hear! then i'll keep it up as long as i feel comfy with it! THANKS

 

[SkyWarrior]

On this note -- how do you keep the babies warm in the brooder when it gets really cold? Certainly you all don't take them inside the house?

 

[bigdawg]

who stops. my silkies go broody year round. hatched seven last year and it was snowing. just build a nice plywood box brooder, ventilate the end farthest from the heat lamp and watch the babys grow. build the box as big as you can so you can have a divider that you can extend the box as they grow. once they have feathered good move them to a draft free coop and hang them a heat lamp in case they need it. thats what i do. hatch in nov, dec sell laying pullets in the spring and eat the roosters.........

 

[gryeyes]

I bought my first 3-day old chicks in OCTOBER, last year, and brooded them in the house until some were 12 weeks old (because I bought a few after the first, and then some more, until I had some 4 weeks younger than the originals) before I put them outside. With a heat lamp in the coop.....

So I don't think I'm gonna stop because now that I've started incubating eggs (instead of buying chicks) I don't think I CAN stop.

 

[muddstopper]

Quote:
I built a wooden brooder box and installed a wafer thermostat. The box has a lid in which I mounted a heat lamp. When the temp gets to low, the thermostat turns on the heat lamp. It cycles pretty much like a incubator or hatcher, in fact by adding a fan and a pan of water, I have hatched eggs in it.

 

[bargain]

Quote:
Wheee....we're related! don't stop you're just getting cranked up. Baby chicks make great Christmas gifts, fathers dday, independence day, etc!

 

[Surehatch]

Glad to see everyone still incubating eggs!