Article in Practical Poultry April 2012 edition/ issue 97

I suppose it depends on the birds' purpose.  If they are strictly for meat and eggs, and not for breeding  in order to improve or conserve the breed, then it doesn't really matter when they hatch.  Like you said, as long as they're housed, warm, dry, and predator-free then everything is good.

But for those, like myself, who are breeding for conservation and to improve the breed, you want to produce birds that can hatch their own clutch.  Springtime is the best time for that because their internal clock's alarm goes off for just this thing.  You also want to breed for birds that can tolerate winter temperatures in colder climates, and chickens that were hatched in springtime are big enough and old enough to manage this.  In essence, breeders like myself want birds that can best follow the natural cycles of the earth and seasons and still produce the best meat and/or the most eggs per year.

That being said, January and February is probably too early in most of the US, but maybe that isn't so in the UK.  Here, March is about when mating hormones start flowing and it has to do with day length/light.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phyrst 

I read everything I can about chickens and found this mag in a TSV store a few months ago. It's published in the UK but I was curious to see what was in it. There's one specific article that I had sort of glossed over but something about the article just kept nagging at me. It's entitled "Choices, choices" written by Andy Marshall. I didn't think I should copy it since that can be a crime, it seems! I'm hoping I can talk about things said in the article and get some opinions from those on the site that have experience. I'm not a breeder or a professional exhibitor so maybe that's why this article bothered me. It says that the boys in heavy breeds, should be hatched in January/ February and light breeds should be hatched January to April. Later hatching isn't advised for breeding stock in general as the birds produced often have poor or interrupted growth and don't reach maximum size. This is because they're still growing when autumn arrives so they have to start diverting valuable energy to cope with the worsening weather. The best breeding birds will grow with the season and be in peak condition just when you want them for the breeding pen.

Does this mean that by incubating eggs and hatching them at an "odd" time, I'm messing up their growth and timing? I had never given that a thought before. As long as my chickens were housed warm, dry, comfortable and predator free, I didn't think the time of year they were hatched mattered! Do you plan around the calendar this way? Anyone out there with thoughts on this? Thanks.

Query-- I have Jersey giants hatched out in June--- even if their growth is interrupted or whatever, how is that going to affect their genes for large size? I plan on keeping 1 or 2 roosters from this June Hatch for breeding (which I am assuming wont happen til next Spring)-- even if they are runty or whatever d/t having to winter thru the middle of their growth (Jerseys I am told take 2 years to really finish growing anyway)-- wont my Boys still pass on their large size to their offspring?

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Originally Posted by CAjerseychick 

Query-- I have Jersey giants hatched out in June--- even if their growth is interrupted or whatever, how is that going to affect their genes for large size? I plan on keeping 1 or 2 roosters from this June Hatch for breeding (which I am assuming wont happen til next Spring)-- even if they are runty or whatever d/t having to winter thru the middle of their growth (Jerseys I am told take 2 years to really finish growing anyway)-- wont my Boys still pass on their large size to their offspring?

I don't know how the early growth of a very slow-growing chicken is affected by winter, but my guess is that they will eventually reach their full, genetically coded size, particularly if they don't have to worry about expending energy which should go into growth, trying to keep warm (I recommend choosing the cockerel who is biggest at the end of the winter when little was done to keep them warm, FYI.  I don't heat or even fully enclose my chicken house during my Vermont winters because I want to know who has the hardiest genes).  

I'm wondering, though, if Jersey Giants would breed the first spring anyway, if it takes them so long to reach maturity?

As always, I recommend my favorite book, The Small Scale Poultry Flock by Harvey Ussery.  He goes into all this stuff; a VERY helpful book.

Quote:

Originally Posted by countrygoddess 

I don't know how the early growth of a very slow-growing chicken is affected by winter, but my guess is that they will eventually reach their full, genetically coded size, particularly if they don't have to worry about expending energy which should go into growth, trying to keep warm (I recommend choosing the cockerel who is biggest at the end of the winter when little was done to keep them warm, FYI.  I don't heat or even fully enclose my chicken house during my Vermont winters because I want to know who has the hardiest genes).  

 

I'm wondering, though, if Jersey Giants would breed the first spring anyway, if it takes them so long to reach maturity?

 

As always, I recommend my favorite book, The Small Scale Poultry Flock by Harvey Ussery.  He goes into all this stuff; a VERY helpful book.

I was wondering about heating during the winter... I have another set of pullets (i hope) that were July 10 hatch!-- these birds wil still be pretty immature-- 4 or 5 months old when winter hits ( I do feel that that is determental to them but I will feed them well not sure about heat though)...Thanks I will look into that book.... Jersey Giants are a bit of an oddity in the chicken world I think...

Living in CA, you probably don't need to worry about winter warming.  As long as they don't have drafts and their water doesn't freeze, they should be fine.  Keep in mind that there SHOULD be adequate air circulation in their house or they could get sick (i.e., best not to insulate their house).