Is it ok to order chicks for beginning of Sept for Massachusetts?

[troppoli]

Hi,
We got our first chicks in end of March and kept them in their brooder until they were 6 or 8 weeks old and by that time it was warm enough for them to be in the coop. We recently lost 3 chickens and were thinking of getting chicks. We will be traveling a bit in August so we would order them the first week of September, which would mean moving them to the coop in mid October. I was pretty sure this was a fairly common thing. It makes sense to me that by the time the chicks are old enough to lay it is spring time and they will lay well, instead of having them old enough to lay just as the days are getting shorter.

We don't have any light in the coop, would you need a warming light if the temps got cold with 6 or 8 week old chicks? Is it safe to have a warming light in the coop?

Thanks

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

At 6-8 weeks standard breeds should be fully feathered enough to maintain their own temperature provided an appropriate shelter to do so. Many of us manage chicks to be off heat in similar temperatures far younger

 

[troppoli]

At 6-8 weeks standard breeds should be fully feathered enough to maintain their own temperature provided an appropriate shelter to do so. Many of us manage chicks to be off heat in similar temperatures far younger

Thanks, that's what I thought. I was at our local feed store and he said it was too late to get chicks even now and I thought that didn't seem right.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Thanks, that's what I thought. I was at our local feed store and he said it was too late to get chicks even now and I thought that didn't seem right.

Successful brooding is possible year round.... Some folks subscribe to the old *only in the spring* mindset

 

[lazy gardener]

yep, October temps should be about similar to April temps. Many of us start chicks in April. Some things to consider: If you can get an extension cord to your coop, you can easily brood your chicks in the coop. Have you looked at heating pad brooding? Much easier, safer, and provides a more natural brooding experience for the chicks. You might also look at: wool hen, and huddle box. Do a thread search for information.

 

[Folly's place]

Getting mail order chicks in fall should work fine, just like spring chicks. Summer heat and winter cold are much more difficult for chicks in the mail. Your breed choices will be smaller, but not impossible, and they will be feathered out by winter. Mary