Hatching fertile eggs through the later fall months and throughout winter certainly is an appealing prospect; you'll have birds ready to go in the spring to add to your laying and breeding flock.
If you raise birds for resale, you'll also have a huge advantage come spring when you have started birds ready for sale.
However, there are some things you may want to take into consideration before you decide to leave your incubator running.
- Fertility of the birds drops in the cold weather due to extra energy requirements of the bird to stay warm. Help to counteract this by feeding a warm mash in the mornings, and other foods to help them keep warm.
Also allow your birds to free range in the colder weather so that they can follow the sun, dust bathe and scratch for bugs.
Running heat lamps in your coop will help your birds stay warm and expose them to the additional light that they need to stay productive - but do consider the risk of fire. - You will need to run heat lamps 24/7 in order to keep the young chicks at the appropriate temperature. This will affect your power bills and, if you are raising the birds for resale, increase your unit cost.
- Some people believe that birds raised in the colder weather are less thrifty than birds raised in spring due to their constantly trying to stay warm; other people report the exact opposite. Pay attention and take note; each season on your farm is a learning experience. Aim for improvement year on year.
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