When to incubate eggs?

[matthew1997]

I was wondering what the best time of year to incubate eggs is. Summer, spring? It can get to 0 degrees celcius where I live in winter and I dont know if I should wait for summer or incubate them going into winter?

 

[gatorshark75]

I was wondering what the best time of year to incubate eggs is. Summer, spring? It can get to 0 degrees celcius where I live in winter and I dont know if I should wait for summer or incubate them going into winter?

you can incubate year round but the incubator has to be in a temperature controlled room where the temps stay fairly constant i incubate anytime i have enough eggs to fill the incubator i actually like to hatch in the fall it gives the new chicks all winter to grow and they are ready to start laying in the spring

 

[Whoops]

I would judge it by how you want to incubate chicks:

Do you want a brooder in the house? In the garage? In the coop? Will you use a heat lamp? A contact brooder? Pick the set-up that works for you, where you have the ambient temperatures or shelter appropriate to the chicks when you anticipate them hatching. For example, I use a contact brooder heater thingamajig. That doesn't work if the temp is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. So, I don't want to hatch chicks in the dead of winter because I have to brood them inside for months and chicks are messy. However, I have a portable brooder, so I can drag it inside for overnight chilly temperatures, and then take it back outside for most of the day.

The other side of the equation is that hens tend to slow down or stop laying in winter. It is a bit discouraging to go through all the raising of the chicks to pullets, then have their first eggs delayed by the dead part of winter. So, if they hit that 4 to 6 month range in mid November -December, (in this hemisphere at least) it tends to be a bit aggravating.

Anyway, that is my thoughts on the matter. Someone else may have better advice.

 

[drumstick diva]

I think early spring or early fall are good times. If you incubate in winter you run the risk of having the power go out from winter storms. If you incubate in the heat of summer - the young birds run risk of heat stroke outdoors.

That's just my thinking, if someone really wants to hatch at any time of year, they will find ways to cope with all the problems that could come up.

 

[gander007]

I was wondering what the best time of year to incubate eggs is. Summer, spring? It can get to 0 degrees celcius where I live in winter and I dont know if I should wait for summer or incubate them going into winter?

A lot of it has to do with where you live in this world and the temp's out side for where I live mid June till mid Sep are off limits as it is just too hot but the chickens some how seem to do it by building the nest in the sand and hatching out the egg's anyway but at the same time I can not manage to do it in the incubator and cold here is where it snows some 50 miles away up in the mountains and the cold wind gets it so cold here the water freezes but nothing more then a little pressure cant brake or the ducks first thing in the morning ...

gander007

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

I like to incubate in the spring and summer and do so here in the house where I can monitor everything. Spring and summer is a good time too, because after brooding the babies here inside and it is time to get them outside, it is warm enough that I don't have to worry about added heat, snow storms or any weather that might kill the young birds. This also gives them time to mature enough to be able to handle winter when it does arrive.

If you need any tips and hints on hatching, here is a good article on hatching in our learning center...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-just-21-days-from-egg-to-chicken

Great to have you aboard and enjoy BYC!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. Assess your chick raising facilities - the best time to incubate eggs and raise chicks is when you can do so most effectively.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello an Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good advice above. Another thing to consider is what are your ultimate plans for the chicks, if you want to sell most of them, by far the most people want to buy chicks in the spring.