When to hatch chicks

[ChickenEnthusiast]

Help its almost april and we still have snow would it be a good idea if i started hatching i just cant wait any longer does anyone know?

 

[N F C]

Your profile doesn't show where you are located but I know people here in WY are incubating eggs now. It takes approximately 21 days for chicken eggs to hatch so that puts them hatching around mid-April. With some time in a brooder with a heat source, those chicks will be good to go once summer rolls around.

 

[chickens really]

I have been hatching with my Broody Hens since January........I do run heat lamps and Brood in my garage..My first two sets of a Chicks are out in the Coop..They are 9 weeks and 5 weeks...Been out since 4 and 3 weeks....

Get hatching ...

Cheers!

 

[aart]

Help its almost april and we still have snow would it be a good idea if i started hatching i just cant wait any longer does anyone know?

Well, it might depend on.....
.....your climate/location(helps to put that in your profile).
....and/or what kind of and where the brooder is have set up.
.....and/or how you want to handle housing/integrating the new chicks.

I have power in my coop and it's large enough to section off a space for the chicks to brood from about one week after hatching. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old

 

[Ridgerunner]

How are you hatching, incubator or broody? Here is a link to a thread where someone used a broody hen to hatch and raise chicks in winter. I hatched a bunch this past January in my incubator and brooded them in my coop. I have eggs under a broody right now that should hatch in about a week and a half.

Winter Brooding
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/947046/broody-in-michigan-winter

Whether or not it’s a “good” idea for you to hatch is going to depend on your circumstances and reasons. It’s usually easier to wait until the weather has warmed up before you hatch. You can often get them out of your house earlier if you brood in your house. If the weather outside is truly cold what would normally be an inconvenience in warm weather could be serious if you have a power outage.

Some people I trust on here have said they have fertility issues when they try to hatch in winter, but I personally have not had that issue. 26 of the 28 I set this January developed. I’m OK with that. If your temperatures are really cold you may need to gather the hatching eggs two or three times a day to keep them from freezing.

Some people need to hatch in winter. A breeder might want chickens to be a certain age if they are pointing toward a certain chicken show, for example. I hatch in winter so I don’t run out of chicken meat in the freezer. Whether or not it is “good” for you to hatch right now is going to depend on your circumstances and reasons. It’s probably possible for you to hatch now, that depends on your unique circumstances. I can’t tell you if it would be “better” to wait or not though. That’s your decision.

 

[ChickenEnthusiast]

Thanks guys I started hatching about four days ago all is going well yeah I live in upstate New York so it gets cold I'll probably just leave them inside for about six weeks thanks a lot.

 

[N F C]

Best of luck with your hatch!

 

[ChickenEnthusiast]

Guys I'm very nervice so I started hatching about five days ago, and I've been candling very often and I see nothing, yet is that normal or not, also the power was out for about ten minutes, I candled them again and I didn't see anything just the yolk, but the yolk was redish any way I don't know if that effected the eggs or not, and yes they are in a incubator just so you know

hopefully there fine

 

[chickens really]

Guys I'm very nervice so I started hatching about five days ago, and I've been candling very often and I see nothing, yet is that normal or not, also the power was out for about ten minutes, I candled them again and I didn't see anything just the yolk, but the yolk was redish any way I don't know if that effected the eggs or not, and yes they are in a incubator just so you know

hopefully there fine

Hmmm? that's too bad...No the power outage of 10 minutes is fine..Hens leave the eggs also for about that much time or longer in the beginning....

By 7 days you should see a heart beat and the Embryo bouncing ....Over handling the eggs is something I do not do....I candle on day 10.....Then before lock down....

Cheers...

 

[ChickenEnthusiast]

Hmmm? that's too bad...No the power outage of 10 minutes is fine..Hens leave the eggs also for about that much time or longer in the beginning....

By 7 days you should see a heart beat and the Embryo bouncing ....Over handling the eggs is something I do not do....I candle on day 10.....Then before lock down....

Cheers...

Wow ok. Thanks so much I just was a little upset, and nervice. I hope there ok