2026 Chick Thread!

[FernwoodHollow]

Better than most summer days hanging around 100F with near 100% humidity.....

Yeah absoltuely no thanks on that one! We get to about 85% humidity regularly up here and even that I'm like ugh this is awful haha

 

[debid]

I know I do it super differently than a lot of folks but I do late summer early fall chicks that way I get an entire laying season of eggs before they hit their first molt so my next batch of chicks will be coming the last week of August they hit laying age by the end of February early March just as spring hits and I get the entire summer of first-year laying instead of waiting until July August for them to start laying only for them to hit their fall moult 2 months later. But I'm adding some Speckled Sussex, some Australorps, and some BCM, to my current group of 11 Exchequer Leghorn, Olive Eggers, Easter Eggers, Marans, and Ameraucanas. Originally I was going to add a rooster but was on the fence and decided against it this year. Maybe next year.

That is PEAK season for coccidia where I live. And, I have never had a pullet take their first winter off laying. So, I try and get mine as early in the spring as possible. This year, we managed Valentine's Day with two of the chicks being a week old already at pick-up. I'm expecting they'll begin laying in June/July and not molt until they're at least 18 months old, probably closer to 20. And they'll be merging into the adult flock at a time of year when it's nice outside which makes things easier.

 

[FernwoodHollow]

That is PEAK season for coccidia where I live. And, I have never had a pullet take their first winter off laying. So, I try and get mine as early in the spring as possible. This year, we managed Valentine's Day with two of the chicks being a week old already at pick-up. I'm expecting they'll begin laying in June/July and not molt until they're at least 18 months old, probably closer to 20. And they'll be merging into the adult flock at a time of year when it's nice outside which makes things easier.

Nice! I have no cocci issues here luckily and my weather is perfectly nice for chicks straight through September. So they'll have nice weather through intro time. Not disparaging how anyone does anything was just adding what my chick plans are to the thread

 

[debid]

I just love watching how they change! These two... the gold sexlink looks like she is going to be pretty dark, actually, and the EE that looked like she'd be dark is feathering in buff & blue.

 

[debid]

Nice! I have no cocci issues here luckily and my weather is perfectly nice for chicks straight through September. So they'll have nice weather through intro time. Not disparaging how anyone does anything was just adding what my chick plans are to the thread

I haven't had problems with coccidiosis either. I just know from locals with experience that it's a lot more likely to happen in June through September here. It's also so prevalent that the local mill puts Bactrim in their chick feed! (I buy mine elsewhere, I prefer not to go that route) Local conditions are important when assessing risk/reward and because a lot of new people read here, I thought it a good idea to mention this.