What is "Hatched Early"???

[Cuban Longtails]

Quote:
With showing silkies, I imagine you'd want to use the fall hatched chicks to maintain proper size.

 

[blackred]

I will try to explain.

The show season basically starts in September although for most it is October and then peaks in November and December. You have a few fall shows in January and then the spring season starts in February.

Depending on your breed and line of birds ( male or female) you want them to be ready for the shows that you will be attending. The general start to breeding season is considered January/ February. Late would be April/May.

Birds that are hatched early grow larger not just because of longer time till the show but because early on there is less daylight and that make all things grow at first.

For example. I raise and show Modern game bantams and Large Old English.
For my bantams I want my pullets to show at 6-8 months so I start hatching in March, which is considered a little early. If you hatch moderns early they get longer legged but they get too large and course. I use to try to hatch my BB Red modern males early so that they would be mature enough to show in September/ October but they just got too big.

On the other side of the coin I have my large OE. They take longer to mature and need to be larger so I hatch them in December and January..

Does this help?

Bob

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Actually, my spring hatched birds are smaller--too small to compete well at shows. My best birds hatch from November through February, and all look better after their first birthday. I had a roo who didn't come into full form until he was 3.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Quote:

Exceptions always exist.

 

[Ryu]

I don't know about chickens, but it did have a measurable effect on ear length in rabbits as far as when they were born.

Short ears, winter (I would breed my Neatherland Dwarfs in the winter).

Longer wider ears, early summer. I didn't notice anything in final adult body wieght for rabbits.

Maybe leg length, maybe comb size could be effected in chickens? I'll have to see, I have one cross I'm going to do multiple times this year.

 

[Laskaland]

Quote:

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Sonoran, you could always show those birds the next year though??? Being ready for shows isn't my biggest priority, but can see where it WOULD make a difference in the hatching regime!

 

[wclawrence]

My chicks haven't a clue as to the time of year they hatch. They are raised in brooder boxes under 24/7 light. WHen they are old enough they come out. So they all get the same size eventually. **except for the ones the hens raise, sometimes a hen will take to setting in the dead of winter**

 

[Krys109uk]

I'm agreeing with the masses....IMO spring or early hatched chicks grow best....for the reasons described.

As an aside...we are living in Minnesota where the weather is incredibly, unbelievably, killer cold in the winter (actually it's still horribly cold now)....I brought some 'special' (project)late hatch chicks into our basement over winter & they're considerably bigger than the less 'special' birds of the same breeding left in the pens.