2026 Chick Thread!

[FrostRanger]

A bit early? Sure, but I can't be the only one thinking about getting chicks next year. Post about your plans here!

1. What breeds are you getting?

2. How many?

3. Are you hatching, getting day olds or started pullets?

4. Are you going to raise them yourself or let a broody do it for you?

Go wild and when the time comes, post pictures!

 

[FrostRanger]

As for me, I am still a bit undecided. I know I want to have one of the girls raise chicks for me but I am undecided on whether I want to get hatching eggs or stick day olds under them.

On the one hand, if I get day olds I can order exactly the amount I want and can be assured that I will probably get that amount and probably won't have many extra cockerels if any at all. On the other, it will be significantly more expensive due to shipping. If I get hatching eggs there's no guaranteed of what will or won't hatch and no guaranteed of if any will be female. Truth be told I would not mind a cockerel if for no other reason than a good rooster is a joy to behold (and a bad one will be invited to dinner promptly) but I would like at least 2 more pullets. Multiple cockerels would allow me to pick the best of the bunch and either eat or rehome the rest

As for breeds, definitely more easter eggers and perhaps a black copper marans or 2. If I get a cockerel I want him to be an easter egger as I want him to pass on the blue egg gene but honestly temperament is way more important. I'd actually rather an ameraucana cockerel but neither Meyer nor cackle have ameraucan hatching eggs and I would rather the females be easter eggers anyways as easter eggers do lay a bit better

Ah well, none of my girls are even laying ATM let alone are likely to go broody anytime soon so I have time lol

 

[kattabelly]

Any chicks I do add will either be from my own flock, or hatching eggs I've either collected in person or had sent by post when that's the only option. I don't plan on adding any chicks from elsewhere (sending day-old chicks in the post isn't done here anyway) but there's a chance it could happen - a friend's hens like to hatch secret hedge babies but aren't always the best mothers, for example.

If I have broodies I'll try to give them a chance to hatch chicks but I have an incubator I could use if necessary.

If I had room to add that many birds, my plans would be:
- Hatch some more Shetlands, from a different breeding group than the eggs I hatched this year, hopefully including a cockerel as I managed 6/6 pullets this year.
- Get hold of some Barred Plymouth Rock hatching eggs from a really nice line that should improve the very slight knocked knees in mine. Keeping a cockerel would make it three different and hopefully relatively distantly related lines between me and the breeder I got my pullets from, so I might ask if he'd be interested in swapping birds every year as a spiral mating system.
- More Norfolk Greys. Again, I'd love to have a cockerel too.
- More Fayoumis or a similar breed because the only pullet I hatched this year really needs some pals to fly off on adventures with.
- More Ixworths.
- Hatch Light Sussex x Ixworth chicks from my birds and keep any meaty fast growers for possible future breeding.
- Pen one of the RIR cockerels with the Light Sussex and Barred Rocks for a while if I, or other people, want sex links.

Unfortunately I don't have the space to add that many birds, so I'll have to have a think and make some decisions.

One of my friends recently moved house to somewhere further out of town and he's been thinking about getting a few chickens next year. I've offered to help him get set up either with eggs to hatch / chicks to raise if they want to do all that, or slightly older birds if not. Someone else, who's looking to move away from the short-lived Hylines they had previously, said they might want some birds from me - or help sourcing some - too.

 

[KtheChickenGal]

I don't know for sure if I'll be adding to my flock this year... but I really really really want some Salmon Faverolle chicks.