I get chicks in late spring as I brood outdoors, all 3 batches I've raised have come in May. I was staggering my new additions by 2 years but we're still getting more eggs than I need so I haven't added any since last batch (my birds are 3, 5 and 7 yrs old). I promised hubby we'd get another round of chicks next spring as long as at least one spot opens up, as we're close to capacity.