Did anyone else raise chicks over the winter?

[Country Guy John]

Sinjce I have become a member of this sight and purchased an incubator, I have been raising chick at what seems constantly. I bought chicks in November and hatched some Jersey Giants in December and January.

My 5 week olds are already fully feathered and Im thinking about putting them in the coop this weekend with my 9 week old since day light savings time will start and it will be near 80 on Sunday.

 

[Country Guy John]

Sinjce I have become a member of this sight and purchased an incubator, I have been raising chick at what seems constantly. I bought chicks in November and hatched some Jersey Giants in December and January.

My 5 week olds are already fully feathered and Im thinking about putting them in the coop this weekend with my 9 week old since day light savings time will start and it will be near 80 on Sunday.

 

[Country Guy John]

Since I have become a member of this sight and purchased an incubator, I have been raising chick at what seems constantly. I bought chicks in November and hatched some Jersey Giants in December and January.

My 5 week olds are already fully feathered and Im thinking about putting them in the coop this weekend with my 9 week old since day light savings time will start and it will be near 80 on Sunday.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

We bought 11 chicks from the feed store in October and had no problems - all thriving. I live in AZ and kept them in an outside shed under a heat lamp till they were 7-8 weeks old and then they went outside to live in an open coop (3 sided). Our 11 pullets are 20 weeks old now, but still haven't started laying - I'm hoping it'll be soon.

 

[whatsup chickenbutt]

Northern Utah
I put 8 four week old babies outside in their coop with access to a chicken yard on October 31. They had one 125 w heat lamp in their coop that they sat relatively close to. With the exception of one who got wedged upside down and away from the heat for an unknown amount of time, they all did fine, and we have had some pretty cold temps.
the coop is about 5'x6'

 

[Their Other Mother]

I hatched 2 cluch's (?) of eggs in November, the first on the 12th and the second a week later. They did great over the winter here in The Valley of the Sun and should start laying soon. The third group hatched January 1 (BA's) and still seem small to me but are doing well. I kept them seperated in the main coop with the heat lamp right over their section. I lost one on a really cold night. Looked ike he was smothered so I added more shavings and lowered the lamp.

All in all I set 52 eggs but only have 19 live chickens (8 are roos) to show for it right now. I'm burnt out on hatching for awhile with these dissappointing hatch rates. A dog got 3 of my birds but 2 were roos so I would have gotten rid of them anyway - still not a good thing.

 

[EweSheep]

I used to do that last year and yep it is expensive to run the lights however come spring, you will have eggs. During the winter, usually they dont lay only if you bought some chicks that are winter hardy or winter layers.

I order around August when its at its hottest and it would take less time for me to put them under lights.

Either way, it all boils down the breed availablity and some hatcheries would stop their rare breeds around June-July even you know they would lay most of the year. It may be due to replacement chicks that the breeders will keep for the remaining of the year.

 

[walkswithdog]

Quote:
Dawn I agree, after looking at the sales over winter locally I think having POL pullets first thing in spring makes a huge amount of sense.

I'll probably do the September thing too, and then chart costs vs sales for next year but I bet it works.

 

[agnes_day]

i bought a batch of month old chicks in december and they will be laying soon i hope!

 

[DawnSuiter]

I'm going to convert my back porch entirely for this purpose... to hold up to 30 pullets to 6 mos of age.
If they hatch September 1st.. their heat needs should match the falling temperatures... it's not really cold here until December.

I think we can use very small wood stove on the porch to help with the heating... I am also dreaming up other cold weather helpers... like perches that are routed out to allow a strand of rope lighting to run through it... and I also learned that vitamin water doesn't freeze as fast as regular water.

I too will keep careful track of costs... I think its a great idea as opposed to having Easter Chix