How late is too late in the summer for chicks?

[cmb19]

I don't know the best forum to ask this question, if there's a better option, tell me to go there!

I have been a member here for 17 YEARS with no chickens. I FINALLY have a place to have my lifelong dream coop and I couldn't be more excited!

The plan is to buy/build a large shed and run and I expect it to take a month or 2 if not a little longer. Problem is, I live in the coldest part of Pennsylvania. Is there a cutoff date of sorts to hatch eggs or buy chicks and have the chicks be big enough to survive the winter? I do not intend to heat my coop, but would be willing to consider the flat wall mounted heaters, I guess.

My daughter and I are so excited that we don't want to wait until next spring unless we really have to. I will be attempting to hatch eggs soon no matter what, but I have homes lined up already for those chicks, expect excited posts from me about them!

 

[2ndTink]

Congratulations on the upcoming chicks!!!

I'm not in as cold of an area as you, but I would be comfortable having chicks that are 10 weeks old about your first frost. I hatched some in August of last year and moved them outside with a heat plate at 7 weeks old, when they stopped using it and went to roosting at night I shut the heater off. If you use something like a Cozy Coop heat panel you could put that up by their roost and turn it on for some cold nights if they looked like they needed it.

Typically "off heat" is 8 weeks old, but if you are going to be cold days and nights I'd want them a little more feathered and bigger before that hits. It doesn't seem to bother them too much to be chilled at night but warm up during the day, but I found mine struggled with the continued cold day and night with no break to take the chill off.

 

[pac]

Do you have a source?
I was surprised to learn that the chicks I saw the other day were pullets. I thought the stores only sold straight run. It had me thinking of getting some going again. But it also had me wondering how long they were going to continue to get them in.

Then there is five or six weeks in the brooder if I remember correctly for chickens.

If you put saw straw bales on the side the wind hits that will help.

I would think the cutoff date would be when the stores stop getting them in and the farms refuse to ship them. But it seems you have plenty of time if you start the coop soon.

I'm guessing at least a couple weeks past fully feathered without heat. No biggie to hang a lamp in there just to take the chill off though.

Bradford? I know it gets darn cold there.
If you are in an area where the fog settles I might use a lamp until the snow flies.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I do not intend to heat my coop, but would be willing to consider the flat wall mounted heaters, I guess.

I put chicks straight into my brooder in the coop from the incubator or post office, whether the outside temperature is below freezing or really hot. My brooder is big enough that I can keep one area warm enough in the coldest temperatures and have an area cool enough in the warmest temperatures. If you can run a wall mounted heater you can provide a warm space in your brooder or coop. If you brood in your house you don't have to worry about the temperature swings or extreme conditions outside but they still need an area warm enough and an area cool enough.

I've had chicks 5-1/2 weeks old go through outside temperatures in the mid 20's Fahrenheit with no supplemental heat. Those chicks were raised in my outdoor brooder so they were acclimated to the cold temperatures. They spend a fair amount of time in cooler parts of the brooder and go back to the heat to warm up when they need to so they acclimate themselves. If it is really cold they spend a lot of time near the heat.

A chick should be fully feathered by 4 to 5 weeks of age. In theory they should be able to handle really cold temperatures then, but I've already mentioned acclimation a few times. If you brood in your house, you can't acclimate them unless you take them out for short spells and expose them to the cold. Many people are surprised at how well they can handle that but watch them. If they start acting cold take them inside to the heat.

The bottom line is that you can raise them any time of the year. Commercial operations incubate every week of the year. The chicks don't care what the conditions are around them as long as the conditions they are in are acceptable. In colder weather the risk is greater if you have a power outage or such but many of us brood in really cold weather.

Good luck!

 

[cmb19]

Congratulations on the upcoming chicks!!!

I'm not in as cold of an area as you, but I would be comfortable having chicks that are 10 weeks old about your first frost. I hatched some in August of last year and moved them outside with a heat plate at 7 weeks old, when they stopped using it and went to roosting at night I shut the heater off. If you use something like a Cozy Coop heat panel you could put that up by their roost and turn it on for some cold nights if they looked like they needed it.

Typically "off heat" is 8 weeks old, but if you are going to be cold days and nights I'd want them a little more feathered and bigger before that hits. It doesn't seem to bother them too much to be chilled at night but warm up during the day, but I found mine struggled with the continued cold day and night with no break to take the chill off.

Frost date is somewhere at the end of September, it usually stays mild into November, but we ALWAYS get snow a few days in October at the very least. Maybe I will get one of those heat panels, just to be safe. We will be running electric to the coop, so that won't be an issue.

 

[cmb19]

Do you have a source?
I was surprised to learn that the chicks I saw the other day were pullets. I thought the stores only sold straight run. It had me thinking of getting some going again. But it also had me wondering how long they were going to continue to get them in.

Then there is five or six weeks in the brooder if I remember correctly for chickens.

If you put saw straw bales on the side the wind hits that will help.

I would think the cutoff date would be when the stores stop getting them in and the farms refuse to ship them. But it seems you have plenty of time if you start the coop soon.

I'm guessing at least a couple weeks past fully feathered without heat. No biggie to hang a lamp in there just to take the chill off though.

Bradford? I know it gets darn cold there.
If you are in an area where the fog settles I might use a lamp until the snow flies.

I didn't think about straw bales, that's a great idea, we do get pretty windy! I'm in a small town about 30 minutes from Bradford. We actually get colder temps and waaay more snow than Bradford does!

I can get all the fertilized eggs I want from other owners, but I'm not sure I'll be able to order eggs or chicks from the feed stores too much longer. I have a couple I'm going to call and see how their summer plans go, I'm hoping I can at least get eggs from them.

 

[cmb19]

I put chicks straight into my brooder in the coop from the incubator or post office, whether the outside temperature is below freezing or really hot. My brooder is big enough that I can keep one area warm enough in the coldest temperatures and have an area cool enough in the warmest temperatures. If you can run a wall mounted heater you can provide a warm space in your brooder or coop. If you brood in your house you don't have to worry about the temperature swings or extreme conditions outside but they still need an area warm enough and an area cool enough.

I've had chicks 5-1/2 weeks old go through outside temperatures in the mid 20's Fahrenheit with no supplemental heat. Those chicks were raised in my outdoor brooder so they were acclimated to the cold temperatures. They spend a fair amount of time in cooler parts of the brooder and go back to the heat to warm up when they need to so they acclimate themselves. If it is really cold they spend a lot of time near the heat.

A chick should be fully feathered by 4 to 5 weeks of age. In theory they should be able to handle really cold temperatures then, but I've already mentioned acclimation a few times. If you brood in your house, you can't acclimate them unless you take them out for short spells and expose them to the cold. Many people are surprised at how well they can handle that but watch them. If they start acting cold take them inside to the heat.

The bottom line is that you can raise them any time of the year. Commercial operations incubate every week of the year. The chicks don't care what the conditions are around them as long as the conditions they are in are acceptable. In colder weather the risk is greater if you have a power outage or such but many of us brood in really cold weather.

Good luck!

My brooder will be on my enclosed back porch, so warmer than outside, but not as warm as my house. Maybe I'm just overthinking a bit too much! I guess I didn't think about the commercial places incubating all the time! I'll need to get another generator, power outages are not uncommon here and that's something I certainly didn't think about, so thank you for that reminder!

 

[SamLockwood]

I don't know the best forum to ask this question, if there's a better option, tell me to go there!

I have been a member here for 17 YEARS with no chickens. I FINALLY have a place to have my lifelong dream coop and I couldn't be more excited!

The plan is to buy/build a large shed and run and I expect it to take a month or 2 if not a little longer. Problem is, I live in the coldest part of Pennsylvania. Is there a cutoff date of sorts to hatch eggs or buy chicks and have the chicks be big enough to survive the winter? I do not intend to heat my coop, but would be willing to consider the flat wall mounted heaters, I guess.

My daughter and I are so excited that we don't want to wait until next spring unless we really have to. I will be attempting to hatch eggs soon no matter what, but I have homes lined up already for those chicks, expect excited posts from me about them!

Regardless of the time of year, they're always going to need some supplemental heat for the first couple weeks. Beyond that, just make sure whenever you move them outside full-time they're fully-feathered before the temperatures dip below freezing.

Figure at least six weeks to fully feather in, so if say it gets cold in mid-September for you then early August is your cut-off date.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Figure at least six weeks to fully feather in, so if say it gets cold in mid-September for you then early August is your cut-off date.

Unless you provide heat until they are at least six weeks old. As long as you do that you can start them at any time.