Hello all! I'm a newbie and this is my first thread. We were going to get chicks next spring for the first time, but our "adopted" neighbor hens were just eaten by a fox:-( And now I'm very lonely and sad without them! We were planning on fencing our garden and building the coop this summer, so technically we will be ready by September, but I'm not sure that's a good plan for NH. Any thoughts??? Thanks! What a great site
I live in WA state and I got 6 chicks via mail last year. I had to keep a heat lamp on them for about 4-5 weeks but they were fine. Keep them warm and well ventilatee and they will be fine. Good luck! Post pictures of the progress on the coop and then the babies when you get them !!!
Got Labor Day chicks two years ago. Great chicks. Never lost a one. Usually, in in the north like we are, the nasty weather doesn't set in until Thanksgiving. Get your chicks around Labor Day and long before Trick or Treat, those chicks will be off the heat, feathered out and making the adjustment to the weather. No problem at all.
I got chicks last year on September 19 and all fourteen of them are still thriving and laying up a storm by now. You need to monitor temps but other than that they'll be fine. i never kept them in the house. They were in a coop with a heatlamp for about 7 weeks or so, tapering off the heat in the last 2 or 3 weeks and then they were fine by themselves. They started roosting at about 10 to 12 weeks.