[Couttsb]

Hi all,
Ive kept hens for about 7 years and have always done any incubating throughout summer months and encouraged broody hens up to about August. Does anyone hatch throughout the year? I live in Aberdeenshire and am keen to carry on breeding outside of the spring/summer months but not sure if the chicks will stay warm without a Mum to sit under when they are big enough to be 'let out'. Thank you!

[lord flynn]

to me the problem is more that its not light enough for them to eat enough to grow enough (if you see what I mean)in the depths of winter. And I wouldn't put growers outside without heat before at least 6 weeks that time of year-as well as give them a lot of shelter from wind and rain. So people do do it, but rear them indoors with heat and lights. I only breed purebreds now and am just doing my latest hatch ever-due next week, conversely I don't hatch before late March/April as the weather is just too crap to put them out earlier than 6 weeks when they are feathered up. I need them to be a good size to cope with winter weather (I am on an exposed site in Lanarkshire).

[shygirl]

you would have to provide heat and light and energy to keep them going. so if you are selling profit then you'd have to look at the figures. i had a huge electric bill when i ran the incies and lights for half the year. wiped out any profit.

[Marches Farmer]

Like lord flynn I prefer hatching at a natural time of year. For us it's first hatch at the end of April and three hatches takes us to July.  I know that the last lot will be strong enough to see through a Winter on our exposed hilltop.  I put fertile eggs under any broodies but will sell off the chicks as growers.  If you keep rare or traditional breeds in natural light you also have the problem of lower fertility and lower egg laying rate through the Winter.

[Stereo]

We did a quite late hatch last year under 3 broodys. I think they hatched in late August. It took absolutely ages for them to grow. The hens didn't lay until about 32 weeks and the boys took much longer and much more feed to fatten than the spring hatches. I might set some RIR eggs if I can get a broody as I need a really good cockerel for next season but I won't be doing any more major hatches this year. We have decided to do 3 bigger hatches a year in March / April and May. That way all the boys are gone and the hens are fully grown a and probably laying before winter sets in.

[chrismahon]

We were forced to incubate early September. They hatched in October and the cost in heating electricity was phenomenal -even with an electric hen. Never again.


There is no way a broody can sit in cold temperatures and raise her body heat sufficiently to hatch eggs -she may die trying though.

[Couttsb]

Thanks everyone, really helpful - I'll stick to letting nature call the shots :-)

[shygirl]

all year round hatching would definitely involve rearing inside.
just curious - were you wanting to sell or eat the offspring?

[Couttsb]

Just wanted to increase numbers for egg production :-)

[Victorian Farmer]

When you hit the erly sales in march hens need to be in condition in November and chicks out new year then they are redey for the first sale .I use a wood burner and 5 ton of wood its still hard work ding wall Carlisle and thainstone 8 pens in each sale that's what I did in spring .Its so hard if the whether gos dawn hill minus 22 for 3 weeks in 2010 no chicks till the end of April and no sales .