chicks in august?

[The_Miraculous_Pigmy_Owl]

Hello, I had some questions and I was wonder should I get chicks from my local feed store in august or next spring, I was planning this year though. pls respond if you have answers!

 

[Trish1974]

Great question! I too have been wondering what the advantages/disadvantages are to late summer hatches.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum. glad you joined!

By your question I assume you are somewhere north of the equator. That helps some with my response. If you are going to stick around it can help if you modify your profile to show your general location. That can help on a lot of different questions, not just about climate questions.

Part of which is better for you may depend a bit on why you want chicks. What are your goals? Why do you want chickens? That might possibly make a difference but I'll assume you want eggs and/or pets.

I think the pros greatly outweigh the cons. I may think of a con while I'm typing this. The weather is going to be really good in august, though possibly really hot. Depending on your weather you won't have to provide heat for very long and can probably get them outside really young. If yo are brooding them in your house you may fine that you want them out as soon as you can due to the dust, noise, and possible smell.

If you get them in August you should get eggs really early in the spring instead of waiting until next fall.

You are getting them from a feed store so you don;t have to worry about shipping them in extreme cold or extreme hot. That's a wash.

Your coop needs to be ready when you get them. They grow awfully fast and life can get in the way of construction schedules. Get busy. Now!

I just don't see any downsides to getting them in August.

 

[The_Miraculous_Pigmy_Owl]

@Ridgerunner I was gonna keep them outside because I live in Texas and where i'm at I gets really hot in the summer and moderately cold in the winter so I am pondering about chicks right now.

 

[CutieChicken]

I got chicks at the feed mill last October. Silkies. The only difference I really had between them and the chicks I got in the spring was that I left the fall chicks in the brooder a little longer. I probably could have moved them outside earlier if I’d wanted to, but I decided to keep them inside since they weren’t making too much of a mess. Depending on where you live, if you got August chicks, I’d think they’d be fully feathered by the time it got cold outside and should be able to make it through winter just fine. You could always add a little heat for them if they needed it.

I’m in Texas, too, so winter isn’t usually too bad.

 

[The_Miraculous_Pigmy_Owl]

OK, but will more cold weather tempered breeds help?

 

[Ridgerunner]

OK, but will more cold weather tempered breeds help?

In Texas, no. You want chickens that can handle heat, cold is not a problem for you. If you get them in August, by the time you see any colder weather they will be feathered out and ale to handle it. I've had chicks 5 weeks old go through nights slightly below freezing with no problems.

 

[The_Miraculous_Pigmy_Owl]

ok the breeds I plan to get are Rhode Island red, barred rock, and buff orpington. is that okay cause the local feed store carries other breeds too.

 

[Susan12]

Cold weather breeds are definitely better if you are having cold weather were you live.i suggest buff orpingtons,barred rocks,or Rhode island reds.by all means get them now.

 

[The_Miraculous_Pigmy_Owl]

ok its still hot here though right now it is 95 the high today is about 105