Who hatches eggs in the winter???

[chickenlady81]

I wondered this myself. i would love to hatch some eggs of my own but wondering if they would be fine being in my basement with a light threw the winter. Not alot of people want to buy young chicks in the fall but if I hatched them and raised them up a bit than by spring they will be old enough and everyone will want them! Hmmm im wondering

 

[mandelyn]

It's totally fine as long as you make allowances for the weather. If you have an old farm house (like what I live in) full of drafts and cold spots, you have to select the bator area carefully.

Then you have to brood them with the same consideration. I used the attic, because no one goes up there, giant space where dog crates could be set up, to finish out their feather growing. I would bring in hens from the flock to hang out and meet and greet, so that they wouldn't be tossed out with strange chickens when the time came.

By Spring I had a load of mostly grown, ready to lay any day, young pairs/trios for sale. Did way better than the people selling just hatched chicks that wouldn't start laying until like July. By keeping them in the house I got a head start!

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

We fire up our bator in early December to have chicks available for Christmas. But like others, we live in Florida but last year it got down to 12 degrees here. If you are prepared for the cold and can keep the babies warm then I would say hatch on.

 

[rancher hicks]

Well the temp here came up some and guess what? She has a baby. I didn't expect anything til this week if at all, but I was checking her out and heard peeping. Can you believe it? I don't expect the others to hatch right away cause the Lord only knows when the eggs got deposited. When it got real cold she hunkered down so you couldn't see her head what with all hte frizzle. I keep talking to her and she talks back, she soo cute. She's the friendliest of all my birds. Maybe cause she gets picked up so much. If hse does well rearing these she is a definite keeper. She has 2 bantam eggs and 4 standard. Alot for a bantam don't ya think?

 

[rancher hicks]

Well if anyone reads this she has another. I know it's probably not a big deal but this is her first time and my second broody experience. Everyone just shows broodies and their chicks but never talks aobut how broodies behave so you never know if she's doing everything normal.
The last chicken I had that brooded set on one of hers and I think smoothered it. So I took the one that survived away.

 

[Katy]

I always have in the past, but I'm going to try and take a break this winter until my SLWs start laying......then I won't be able to help myself.

It does take more work to have baby chicks in the winter as far as keeping them warm enough and out of drafts. Make sure if you have them out in coop/barn in a brooder to have 2 heatlamps so if one burns out they aren't left without heat.

 

[aka Rachel]

I have just set my first batch of eggs ever a few days ago. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the chicks when (please please) they hatch; I know my husband would be extremely vocal about brooding them in the house. But I really want to have eggs in the spring!

We have many outbuildings...in particular a semi insulated and powered shed. I think I'll brood them out there with a heat lamp! Should be perfect. Of course, if we loose power they'll have to come into the house pretty darn quick.

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

Pros: Fresh chicks in the spring, can incubate inside so you can have chicken experience without being cold, can sell in the spring like all the hatcheries do

Cons: You have to keep them in your house, if you don't want them inside.

I can't think of anything else!

 

[rancher hicks]

I have them in room offthe gargage. they seem ok. it's noticelbly warm.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I hatched all winter long last year, and I'm trying my best to avoid it this year! I really hate having chicks in the house all year-round, but I'm going to be starting my chicken building on Thursday (finally!

) so I'll have a place to put them when they are a few weeks old, so I'll have my spare room back. I might even put my son in there, and get him out of my bed!

I had pretty decent hatches from my birds' eggs last year, but most all the shipped eggs I got didn't do well. I had a few batches that weren't too bad, but I sure won't do that again! About the only thing that I hatched last winter with any success were quail eggs.