baby chicks in the winter??

[amymitchell]

Hello everyone,
I live in Ohio and just gave away my older birds who had slowed down on laying. I do not have enough space to keep more than 5-6 birds happily. My question is, can I raise day old chicks through the winter. We are gone most weekends April-Oct and I don't not have anyone who can tend to them. I have the ability to keep them warm after leaving the brooder. We have a heat source and wrap the run in plastic and have had success with 2 flocks over 7-8 years. This is the first time I have had to face not being home in the spring to work with the babies. I guess if I got them the first of March they would be 6-7 weeks old when we put them out. My original thought was to raise them through the winter and they would be ready to lay come spring but... I came across an article saying this disrupts the reprodutively system to the extent of prolapse and egg binding issues. The gist was that they mature to fast. The writer of the artlicle had an elaborate chart to increase artifical light up until spring to prevent this. The article was by Gail Damerow on the feather brain web site. It seems backward to me as well as some of the others who commented on the article. I would think the darker winter days would not push them into early maturity but the artifical lighting schedule would?? Has anyone tried this? Did the ailments prvail? Is this Gail Damerow a chicken guru?

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Gail Damerow is regarded as somewhat of an expert by many people. She has written several books and has been chicken keeping for a long time. Only problem is she never sites her sources.

My chicks (now hens) hatched last September and I had the exact same questions (I also have Damerow's books and read the FeatherBrain post about lighting).

Here's the thread I started last year, maybe it will help you out:

Thread 'Lighting for Off-Season Chicks' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/lighting-for-off-season-chicks.1544182/

I did end up augmenting my chicks' light a bit, but not on the wacky schedule suggested by the FeatherBrain site.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I have raised fall chicks several times. In fact I currently have 6 that are 2 weeks old.

I have not found it to cause any issues at all. The only difficulty is the days can still be quite warm and nights dipping into the low 40's right now here.

I brood in the coop so the trick is to have a big enough space for them to get into the warm space as well as completely away from the heat source. Right now mine have 6'x8' of floor space and are doing great.

 

[Penpal]

I have had chicks in the winter. Because you will only have a few, I would keep them in the house. They will be too small for a dog crate, but I used a clear plastic tub. Get a plant light to shine over the tub or cage for eight hours a day.

Keep them warm for a month, then drop the temp a couple of degrees at a time until they can manage whatever the temp is like outside. Bring them in at night so they don't get too cold or eaten by nocturnal predators.

During this time, you can train them a certain time when you bring food. A whistle, a "chick chick". This teaches them to come when you call.

 

[amymitchell]

So I'm also considering pullets?? What are your thought on this?

 

[21hens-incharge]

So I'm also considering pullets?? What are your thought on this?

That is the easiest option... If you can get the breeds you want and are sure they carry no diseases or parasites.