It’s never too late. The first chicks I ever raised hatched in late November. I brooded them in my garage and acclimated them to January temps once they were feathered. I think August or September hatched chicks would be the best timing, because as they approach 20 weeks, the days are getting longer, so they start to lay at the perfect time of year.
I'll keep this in mind for next year.....
Not too late! They will be ready to go outside before the weather gets too cold.
I don't end up moving my tractors much in the winter.... for one thing... the grass is gone everywhere, So you are really just moving them to an area without poop or to keep poop from piling up to much. If you are having trouble moving them due to being covered in snow.... I would think you probably wouldn't need to move them.... to a different pile of snow.... I do have groups in separate places, like, I have 3 tractors, and a barn with a fenced in area that the adults are in. I have my showgirls in a tractor as well as my teens and toddlers. Brooder is in the house next to my littles chair in the living room. Usually in the winter I will put the tractors in the fenced in area (because they are old enough by then to not get bullied by the ducks, geese and older chickens). I will open the doors and everyone mingles in the winter and I'm not worried about getting barn yard mixes of eggs as I don't hatch all winter. They pretty much hang during the day with everyone and then go to their original places to sleep. Then in the spring I separate out my breeds into different areas so the eggs will be fertilized by the right roosters. It's easier to keep everyone together during the winter than having to unfreeze many different waterers.
