getting baby chicks

[BetsyB3]

I got 25 baby chicks last spring and they're doing great and then I got 25 more baby chicks in the fall. Is fall a bad time to get chicks? This bunch just hasn't seemed as healthy.

 

[gritsar]

I know lots of people do get chicks in the fall, but I'm of the school of thinking that springtime is the best time for chicks; especially if you are ordering thru a mail order hatchery.
My thinking is every little thing that happens to them in their first days of life is stressful on them and can have long term ramifications. Shipping is stressful on them. Seems to me shipping and trying to stay warm at the same time has to be doubly stressful.
Plus, I found taking care of young chicks in the springtime to be very easy. It was relatively simple to keep their temps. where they need to be and they didn't have to be in the house. They were able to be outside and scratching around in the dirt at a very young age meaning they were exposed to more germs and able to get their immune systems off to a good start.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[katrinag]

I have opted to get my chicks shipped to me next week. Next week we are having good weather. They will be in the house for 2 weeks then moved to the back porch in a very large brooder till they are all feathered out. i have a section on my coop that I can close off and they can be in there with problems from the big ones and they have a seperat run too.

 

[namreknat]

I agree that springtime is best. I got my first batch of chicks July 15 and they were so heat stressed from the trip that I lost 10% of them right away. I got my second batch Oct. 8 and have not lost any and they are healthier than the first group. But it cost much more to keep them warm. Next time I order any I will wait for spring.

 

[jossanne]

I live in an area where winters aren't overly severe, so maybe that helped me. I ordered chicks in October, and they've been just as healthy as my March and July arrivals. No issues whatsoever.

Where'd you order from?