How old is old enough?

[K0k0shka]

I'm planning the timing of my first egg hatch and need some advice coordinating it with the family schedule. We are most likely going to be away for our annual family vacation for 3 weeks at the end of July. The coop will have an automatic door, and I will get a chicken sitter to come check on things (I have confirmed with the pet sitting company we use and they do provide chicken care as well). However, the chickens will still be pretty young... When should I plan the hatch for optimal results? Balancing between the vacation on one end and winter on the other. I was planning on doing the heated cave method for brooding and I've read that you can do that straight in the coop, including in cold temperatures. I'll most likely have the chicks inside the house for the first week or two, then move them out to the coop in their cave after that. I'm in Boston so it stays cold here way into spring, but not the kind of cold I've read about like in other parts of the country So... Should I aim to have them hatch in April and be 3 months old when we leave? Or hatch in March and be 4 months old? Or even sooner?

 

[Rose Quartz]

My self, I'd probably want them fully feathered and off heat before leaving them in someone elses care. That ranges usually from 4 - 6 weeks. It's really up to you. There's not a huge difference in size between 12 weeks and 16 weeks. My current 12 week old boys are the same size as my 9 month hens.

 

[DobieLover]

Do you have adult chickens in the coop?
If not, I'd do the entire brooding in the coop and hatch mid to late April as you'll be raising them until they are off the heat.
One other issue that needs to be factored into your plans is the cockerels coming of age and terrorizing their sisters.

 

[UrbanHenKW123]

I'm planning the timing of my first egg hatch and need some advice coordinating it with the family schedule. We are most likely going to be away for our annual family vacation for 3 weeks at the end of July. The coop will have an automatic door, and I will get a chicken sitter to come check on things (I have confirmed with the pet sitting company we use and they do provide chicken care as well). However, the chickens will still be pretty young... When should I plan the hatch for optimal results? Balancing between the vacation on one end and winter on the other. I was planning on doing the heated cave method for brooding and I've read that you can do that straight in the coop, including in cold temperatures. I'll most likely have the chicks inside the house for the first week or two, then move them out to the coop in their cave after that. I'm in Boston so it stays cold here way into spring, but not the kind of cold I've read about like in other parts of the country So... Should I aim to have them hatch in April and be 3 months old when we leave? Or hatch in March and be 4 months old? Or even sooner?

I had the exact same dilemma when I decided to get my girls last year. Fully feathered and in the coop. I’d prob do 6-8 weeks old. Maybe even longer. You want them to be able to moderate their own temperature and any major transitions (ie brooder to coop) done and settled. Good luck !

 

[K0k0shka]

Do you have adult chickens in the coop?

Nope, these will be my first chickens and they'll have the coop and run to themselves.

One other issue that needs to be factored into your plans is the cockerels coming of age and terrorizing their sisters.

Oooh... good point. At what age do they start to become a problem? I'm getting Orpingtons, if that makes a difference.

 

[DobieLover]

Nope, these will be my first chickens and they'll have the coop and run to themselves.


Oooh... good point. At what age do they start to become a problem? I'm getting Orpingtons, if that makes a difference.

It depends on the bird but usually around 15 weeks has been my experience.

 

[K0k0shka]

It depends on the bird but usually around 15 weeks has been my experience.

Thanks. And at that point you pretty much have to get rid of them somehow, right? With a home hatch, the ratio will be too rooster-heavy no matter what I do, so that's inevitable. Would it be better if they're 2 months old when we leave?

 

[Henry&Friends]

Would it be out of the question to set eggs the night before you leave, and pay a neighbor or friend to come by every day or so to check the temp and humidity? Of course you would want an automatic turner or something....

 

[K0k0shka]

Would it be out of the question to set eggs the night before you leave, and pay a neighbor or friend to come by every day or so to check the temp and humidity? Of course you would want an automatic turner or something....

I'm doing this mostly for my kids to experience the cycle of life. They've been waiting impatiently all year to be able to hatch chicks for the first time. No way are we missing any part of that process

 

[Henry&Friends]

I'm doing this mostly for my kids to experience the cycle of life. They've been waiting impatiently all year to be able to hatch chicks for the first time. No way are we missing any part of that process

family vacation at your house!

i suppose I would wait for the chicks to be a month or two old before I left them alone... or could you set the eggs after you all get back? You could choose which eggs to set together, and do family bonding over candling eggs. I think it would be cool for your kids to be able to watch the eggs develop thru incubation, and watch the chicks feathering out into pullets. The whole family could act as broody mommas!