How late in the season do you hatch till? Or do you never stop??

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Wow, Jersey Giants, I've heard they are big, nice birds! I wouldn't mind having some of them myself. Currently, I have 10 Barred-Rock hens, they are doing awesome for me. I've heard in my area that alot of peoples birds have dropped production (they think because of the heat), but, mine are going full blast. I average 8-10 eggs from them daily so I'd say they are doing great (and their eggs are huge!). I also have 6 Silkies (1 white & 5 Buff)....they give me only a couple a day....but they are sparse layers....I get just so much fun watching their antics. I have 1 roo for each breed. Then, I have 6 eight week old RIR's that are growing fast....touted to be great layers...can't wait. I have a super Black-Sex Link hen, she gives me an egg a day. Then, I just had a man give me an absolutely beautiful, big Buff Orpington Roo and I bought a doz. of his Orp eggs (incubating them now). I love almost all the breeds. I am really into this for the eggs for me and for selling. But, I am thinking I would like to get some of the cool, Polish chickens to hatch and sell. I am having a hard time deciding exactly what I want because I have just seen some great breeds. Currently, I am on the hunt to find some Marans....they lay the "chocolate" colored eggs. I met a lady here in my area who said she had a BR Roo she would sell me. I bought it, got it home and my goodness, he is soooo gentle & timid around the ladies!! I thought maybe he was a "girlie boy"???? He hasn't crowed much, stays away from all the chickens, is a total (I want to say coward) but let's say he just doesn't like to fight....anyway, come to find out...on BYC, of course, I ran across a thread on this ladies roo that was exactly like this one. She had a picture & it looked just like the roo I bought. Now remember, I am fairly new to chickens. Come to find out my roo is a Cuckoo Maran....ha! He looks like my BR's but is lighter in color & has the mottled barring. So, I want Marans....just, now, what? I have to downsize before I can get too many more chickens....already have 22 in the incubator....looks like I may have to figure out more coop area soon. I'm gettin befuddled....I love all the birds, the Orp roo, just all of them but guess I will have to do some thinking. I really like my BR's, my White Silkie (just for fun)......I want more breeds but have more than I need right now. I think Marans, BR's, a few Polish & a few Silkies would make me happy....
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hahahaha, what fun!!
Rhonda (I sound like a nut! hahah) I'd be happy with a couple hens and a roo from all the breeds, I have the land and a pretty cool hubby but I think he flip if I told him all that! Ha!
 
Ahhhh yes, funfeatheredfeet, I do so understand your dilemma!! I have been there, and am kinda still there! LOL! I bought quite a few different breeds to start with this season, only to discover Jersey Giants and all the beautiful colors they come in! I think you and I have a lot of the same breeds. I just picked up a few polish chicks and 2 mottled Houdans, just for the fun of it!

I soooo would love to have a few of every breed, but the feed is killin' me!! I free range for most of the day, but I just LOVE to feed treats of fresh fruits and veggies everyday. My hubby always gets suspicious when I go to the store- he knows all that healthy food isnt just for us! I go to the local farmers market and buy the left overs from vendors just before they close up for the weekend, and that helps since they give a good discount (i stay away from anything rotten though) But I always need chick starter and flock raiser and scratch and BOSS, so the free rangeing only helps so much... I'm going to be downsizing very soon so I can focus on my Jersey's and so I can actually go on vacation and not leave a pet sitter with 60 some-odd chickens!!
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Now that I have decided to do Jersey Giants for the next year or 2, it has become easier to let some of the other breeds go. I am planning on keeping a few special hens that have proven to be excellent layers, or good broodies, but all the rest are heading out the moment they start to lay. I get a good price on laying hens, so that off sets some of the costs, but I do get sad whenever one goes to a new home- I try to give them to friends and family first, before I try to sell them (I'm a total enabler when it comes to chickens
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I'm not sure I could name all the breeds I have, but I'm gonna try!
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Here goes: Jersey Giants, Silver laced Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red, Australorp, Buff Orpington, Silver Seabrite, Silkie, Frizzle Cochin, Mottled Java, Mottled Houdan, Polish, Easter Egger, barnyard mutts, Blue Andalusians, Barred Rock, Marans, I think thats it, but I'm not sure!! I have at least 2 of every kind- just in case i really like one, or one turns out a roo, I can be sure I have a hen of each variety. It gets so crazy around here sometimes!

I am looking forward to the day I only have a few special layers and just a bunch of jersey giants, I think that will be fun enough for me!
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You are gonna have ALOT of eggs, but what a beautiful assortment you'll have! If your looking for those dark chocolate colored eggs, you want the french copper Marans, I think. Look here on BYC in the hatching eggs for sale forum, or the under 8 weeks old chicks for sale, you will probably find what your lookin for, and most everyone who sells here is just awesome, a complaint seems pretty rare.

Good luck and congrats!
 
I've quit 3 times sence April , got another 45 in now and my Black cochen bantam don't seem to want to set the 12 eggs in her nest so here goes again , have 3 RIR hens in the cuckoo marana pen and started saving them today ( they have been in there for 8 days .)



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I will be hatching until about end of Aug. They will be feathered when the cold weather sets in... and my coop is heated anyway and my runs are covered so they stay kinda dry with bedding down

. I like late summer chicks as they are ready to start laying in Jan or Feb.... rather than Spring chicks that are ready to take a winters rest just about the time they are ready to start laying.
 
I hatched most of last summer. started about april last hatch in august. the difference in the april vs august babies was huge.
mid winter, it looked like the late hatch were going to be bantam size. they grew so much slower then the earlier babies. this has made me think twice about doing that later hatch. this year I won't. hard selling the babies.
 
My hatching season ends when the 'good' birds stop laying. These would be the guineas, ducks, quail, and maybe some of the chickens
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Of course, that's about the end of November, but I do stop eventually.

This time of year, if I didn't keep the bators running, I'd have a lot of nests that would get tossed
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