Hatching a new batch

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They're surprisingly good with low temperatures; they naturally run a few degrees hotter than humans and can keep themselves warm pretty effectively. What you need to be careful about when it's very cold is the drafts and humidity. They can get frostbite on their feet and combs which you would obviously want to avoid. It's very important to build the coop so that there's very good ventilation but no cross breeze blowing on them when they're asleep.
I'd recommend reading up on your specific temperatures though, since I've no direct experience with that level of cold.
^^ Agreed - chickens usually do just fine even in freezing temps unless they are not cold-hardy breeds, or if they get wet. Making sure that they have good ventilation (but not windy drafts) is important, as is access to lots of fresh water. Like horses, chickens can survive the cold very well as long as they can stay hydrated.

I will add that we did have two banty Cochins which are a breed with feathered feet. If their feet get wet in the snow, the feathers can freeze, which can cause their feet to get frostbitten, as well. So we did pamper our Cochins a bit more, and they would sit in their coop rather than go out free-ranging in the snow (whereas the White Rocks busted out of the coop every day, the moment I opened the door for them). We also provided the Cochins with a wall heater in the coop, and they definitely snuggled up to it. They say that temps don't affect egg production (daylight hours are the primary driver), but the Cochins definitely laid more regularly after we installed that wall heater.

Pic for nostalgia purposes.

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Well, we candled the eggs tonight, and went into lockdown. A disappointing percentage were not developed at all (rooster not doing his job sufficiently) so we took those out. There are 18 remaining that look pretty good, hoping most of those will hatch 🤞🤞🤞
Out of how many? And what kind are they?

We only got two chicks out of our hatching attempt. Our granddaughter added 4 chicks from a school hatching project and we added 12 more pullets from Tractor Supply store. They are all doing well. We now have eggs under a broody hen; so we are waiting to see how many of those hatch.
At the beginning of the pandemic when grocery stores couldn't keep eggs on the shelves, several of my siblings and I pitched in together to get some chickens and ducks from Tractor Supply. We got 6 chicks and 10 ducklings. They were sold out of everything old enough to tell which were females (of course), so we took our chances and got more than we needed, thinking we'd get at least half that many females. Noooo, we got 9 male ducks. Out of 10. 🤣 We ended up going back for more later on and now we can't use up the eggs fast enough. I have a freezer full of French toast.
 
Out of how many? And what kind are they?
We set 30 eggs to start with - we normally get better fertility rates, but this year there's a single rooster covering all the hens so I guess it's too much for him!

They're black copper Marans, this is the adults:
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This is our main rooster, Houdini! So called because when we did a hatch when he was younger, he kept escaping from the bachelor pen to hang out with the chicks ;)
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Getting quite anxious at this stage! :confused: I double checked the days and it's basically this time tomorrow they're due to hatch, but no sign of anything going on so far... I was hoping to see some pips by now (first small hole in the shell). We don't normally hatch at this time of year so I'm hoping the humidity isn't too high for them... 🤞
 
Finally, the first pip! We had just about given up hope, I would have expected it yesterday morning, and they were due to be hatched this morning. I've spent the last two days trying to distract myself and we had started collecting fresh eggs for a new attempt.

I've no idea why they're so very late (never happened like this before) but hopefully this first will not be the only one 🤞 with any luck there will be some actual chicks by the time we wake up tomorrow...

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We just returned from my daughter's house in Winnemucca. My granddaughter finally got her way and managed to get a chick hatched. She has no room for more chickens and mom told her she has to give the baby away, lol not happening. It is a beautiful black chick with white-tipped wings and a white butt. We think it is a Jersy Bantams and her Polish rooster mix. My granddaughter now has 34 counting roosters and hens. Needless to say, my granddaughter loves chickens!!

I wish you good luck with your hatch.
 
#2 is still not quite hatched so we'll check on him shortly in case he's stuck... #1 has been rolling him around, pecking him, and trying to sleep on his head, which is probably not helping...



What are big brothers for, after all?

 
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#2 is still not quite hatched so we'll check on him shortly in case he's stuck... #1 has been rolling him around, pecking him, and trying to sleep on his head, which is probably not helping...
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What are big brothers for, after all?

Kitty Baby perked up her ears and tried to find the little chirper! No luck though, 'cuz with only 12 seconds to look, she couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

Plus she's exhausted from our walk to the Park & back again. Not as hot as yesterday, but still, she was panting at one point. 🐱🐈
 
Kitty Baby perked up her ears and tried to find the little chirper!
Oh yes, it's a very tantalising noise! The two older cats have been through this a few times and are not impressed, but the youngest has been locked out of the bedroom multiple times already for licking the incubator and trying to eat the chicks. (I let her stay when she's quiet, which is a good chunk of the time, she enjoys just hiding behind the printer watching them and purring.)
 
Four as of this morning! Lively and cheeky :)



There are still a few eggs with pips, but these guys will be getting hungry soon, so we'll transfer them to their playpen shortly, clear out the broken eggshells, and have a quick look at how the rest are getting on.
 

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