When to add chickens: Pullets in the fall or chicks in the spring?

Dreammaker

Songster
Mar 21, 2021
215
572
171
MA
Hello!

First time poster here. My husband and I are from MA and are about to embark on our chicken-keeping journey. He is constructing a beautiful coop modeled after Carolina Coops. The coop is 6x5 and the attached run is 6x16 (which includes the portion that's under the coop, which is raised about 2' up). We are planning to have somewhere in the range of 6-8 birds (standard size). The coop and run should be ready to go probably in September, maybe October at the latest? This brings me to our dilemma...

Should we go with started pullets in the fall or wait until spring and raise baby chicks? I have 3 small kids, so TBH, I'm a little intimidated about the prospect of raising chicks. It seems like a lot of work. I am also really excited and impatient and want birds and eggs ASAP. I originally planned on pullets and if, down the road, we are doing great with chickens, attempt raising chicks. Again, we are in MA, so I am wondering if pullets would be able to adjust to the cold if we got them in September/October. I am assuming the pullets would be around 16-20 weeks. Really just depends on where I purchase them (online hatchery? local farm/breeder?). Of course, we'd choose cold-hardy breeds bred to handle our climate.

Thank you!
 
It all depends on you. If you get chicks, and raise them yourself, they can go with out heat at about 9 weeks.
Thanks. I assume then that pullets would do OK in the fall? I would hate for them to succumb to the cold of New England when they're so young and just coming into maturity. Here, it's not unheard of to have snowstorms in late October.
 
Welcome to BYC. I encourage you to add your location, with as much, or as little, specificity as you desire "MA" "New England States" "NE US", etc as you fee comfortable with. Location often impacts the recommendations we offer in response to various questions.

Whether you choose chicks now, or started pullets, they will be fully feathered and ready for MA temperatures before you get cold. ...and what Chickens consider cold (they are wearing down jackets, after all!) and what we as owners consider cold tend to be two radically different numbers. Don't take them from living in a house heated to low 70s and toss them out in the 20s - but if they've been outside a while, they will acclimate to the native temperatures. Even a "cold snap" isn't really a concern for them, the way it is for us. Heat is climate condition that most often does chickens in. We have chicken keepers with flocks in unheated coops in northern Canada, in Alaska, etc.

The key to keeping chickens in the cold is draft-free ventilation. Warm moist air from their breath, plus ammonia from their droppings, is actually much worse for them than a few degrees of temperature "loss" be ensuring your coop is well ventilated. Just make sure there are no drafts on the birds as they roost and nest, so those down jackets can do their jobs.

The better question, in deciding which to do, is when you want your eggs, and what breeds do you want? Naturally, as light levels begin to decrease in the fall, chickens tend to decrease their laying. Chickens who haven't started laying by the time the days get short may delay start of lay a month or more, until the days begin to lengthen (or they can't hold it anymore). and while no breed lays exactly when predicted (very early layers, like the sex linked hybrids used for high egg production *generally* start to lay within 16-20 weeks of hatching, while "late layers" like my Brahma might not start laying until they are seven months old - meaning a purchase of that breed of chicks now would likely see eggs in February or early March). Even if you buy started pullets now, and they begin laying this fall, you should expect a reduction in egg production during the shortest days of daylight.
 
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Welcome to BYC. I encourage you to add your location, with as much, or as little, specificity as you desire "MA" "New England States" "NE US", etc as you fee comfortable with. Location often impacts the recommendations we offer in response to various questions.

Whether you choose chicks now, or started pullets, they will be fully feathered and ready for MA temperatures before you get cold. ...and what Chickens consider cold (they are wearing down jackets, after all!) and what we as owners consider cold tend to be two radically different numbers. Don't take them from living in a house heated to low 70s and toss them out in the 20s - but if they've been outside a while, they will acclimate to the native temperatures. Even a "cold snap" isn't really a concern for them, the way it is for us. Heat is climate condition that most often does chickens in. We have chicken keepers with flocks in unheated coops in northern Canada, in Alaska, etc.

The key to keeping chickens in the cold is draft-free ventilation. Warm moist air from their breath, plus ammonia from their droppings, is actually much worse for them than a few degrees of temperature "loss" be ensuring your coop is well ventilated. Just make sure there are no drafts on the birds as they roost and nest, so those down jackets can do their jobs.

The better question, in deciding which to do, is when you want your eggs, and what breeds do you want? Naturally, as light levels begin to decrease in the fall, chickens tend to decrease their laying. Chickens who haven't started laying by the time the days get short may delay start of lay a month or more, until the days begin to lengthen (or they can't hold it anymore). and while no breed lays exactly when predicted (very early layers, like the sex linked hybrids used for high egg production *generally* start to lay within 16-20 weeks of hatching, while "late layers" like my Brahma might not start laying until they are seven months old - meaning a purchase of chicks now would likely see eggs in February or early March). Even if you buy started pullets now, and they begin laying this fall, you should expect a reduction in egg production during the shortest days of daylight.
Welcome to BYC. I encourage you to add your location, with as much, or as little, specificity as you desire "MA" "New England States" "NE US", etc as you fee comfortable with. Location often impacts the recommendations we offer in response to various questions.

Whether you choose chicks now, or started pullets, they will be fully feathered and ready for MA temperatures before you get cold. ...and what Chickens consider cold (they are wearing down jackets, after all!) and what we as owners consider cold tend to be two radically different numbers. Don't take them from living in a house heated to low 70s and toss them out in the 20s - but if they've been outside a while, they will acclimate to the native temperatures. Even a "cold snap" isn't really a concern for them, the way it is for us. Heat is climate condition that most often does chickens in. We have chicken keepers with flocks in unheated coops in northern Canada, in Alaska, etc.

The key to keeping chickens in the cold is draft-free ventilation. Warm moist air from their breath, plus ammonia from their droppings, is actually much worse for them than a few degrees of temperature "loss" be ensuring your coop is well ventilated. Just make sure there are no drafts on the birds as they roost and nest, so those down jackets can do their jobs.

The better question, in deciding which to do, is when you want your eggs, and what breeds do you want? Naturally, as light levels begin to decrease in the fall, chickens tend to decrease their laying. Chickens who haven't started laying by the time the days get short may delay start of lay a month or more, until the days begin to lengthen (or they can't hold it anymore). and while no breed lays exactly when predicted (very early layers, like the sex linked hybrids used for high egg production *generally* start to lay within 16-20 weeks of hatching, while "late layers" like my Brahma might not start laying until they are seven months old - meaning a purchase of chicks now would likely see eggs in February or early March). Even if you buy started pullets now, and they begin laying this fall, you should expect a reduction in egg production during the shortest days of daylight.
Thank you so much! Great point about their cold vs heat tolerance. I do have to remind myself of their down jackets!

We are hoping for eggs within a couple of months after bringing them home. I will be patient though. :) I do anticipate a slow down in the winter. For breeds, we are considering any of the following:

Australorp
Barred rock
Buff Orpington
Golden comet
Gold or silver-laced Wyandotte
Sussex/speckled sussex
 
Thank you so much! Great point about their cold vs heat tolerance. I do have to remind myself of their down jackets!

We are hoping for eggs within a couple of months after bringing them home. I will be patient though. :) I do anticipate a slow down in the winter. For breeds, we are considering any of the following:

Australorp
Barred rock
Buff Orpington
Golden comet
Gold or silver-laced Wyandotte
Sussex/speckled sussex
OK - first, ignore any confidence you may infer from my typing. I am NOT a breed expert.

Australorps and Buff Orps are both good winter weather weather choices. Large birds, the Buff Orps being larger, with moderately early maturity Start of lay is probably in the 22-26 week range.. Buff Orps tend to lay more, larger, and paler eggs than the Australorps - but if you want eggs more brown than creamy tan, the Australorp would be the better choice. Looking at eggs in the 3 days out of 5 range +/- from either breed. I don't have either myself, but they are both very popular. Full grown, you are looking at birds in the 6.5-7.5# range, most likely, with the Buff Orp favoring the heavier side.

Golden Comets, I do have. These are hybrid birds "built" for egg laying. Mine pop out a large, brown, egg almost every single day, and they start doing it early. Mine began at 17 weeks, though there are reliable reports of laying beginning at 15 weeks (or of course, "late starts" in the 19 week range. They are relatively small birds for the size of the egg they pop out, and are known for having high incidence of reproductive problems in later years (3+) and relatively short lifespans. Commercially, they often aren't kept as layers beyond about a year and a half. I brought mine on 14 months ago, they've been steady layers, moderately "low key/middle of the road" type birds, and are starting to look like a little ragged (molt in a few months). Undecided if I will keep them, likely not. They were less than 4# when they started laying, a couple of mine are unusually heavy at 5# and an ounce or two now. 4.5# is about the average hen.

I also have Silver Laced. Honestly, I think the gold are more attractive, but I do love mine. Energetic birds, excellent escape artists, predator aware. Grew fast, mine were outside full time at 6 weeks (Sept 29th) and could have gone out sooner, but like the Comets, they have stayed relatively small birds. Mine started laying around 19 or 20 weeks - late December, in spite of the shortness of the days. I'd have to check the calendar, medium eggs, pale cream, with a pinkish tint under certain light. I've not weighed any recently, but I'd "guesstimate" somewhere around 5#. Again, they lay about 3 days out of 5.

I have no experience with either the Barred Rocks or the Sussex, and recall only that they are relatively large birds which should be well suited to your climate, and of course the Barred Rock is half the genetics in a large number of commercially useful hybrid breeds - they are just generally good birds.
 
Hi! I'm in CT and got four pullets last October for my first flock. They did well in winter and started laying in early February during some very cold days! I recommend checking out Sugar Feather Farm in Berlin VT. Nicolle sold me my pullets and they've been great. I drove to her farm to pick them up. They have a good variety, but order soon. It takes a few months to get pullets.

Be sure to share pictures of your coop!
 
Hi! I'm in CT and got four pullets last October for my first flock. They did well in winter and started laying in early February during some very cold days! I recommend checking out Sugar Feather Farm in Berlin VT. Nicolle sold me my pullets and they've been great. I drove to her farm to pick them up. They have a good variety, but order soon. It takes a few months to get pullets.

Be sure to share pictures of your coop!
That is great to hear! I will check them out. A bit far, but may be well worth it if I can't find what I'm looking for nearby.

I will be sure to post some pictures soon; my husband has taken a few pics of it to record its progress.
 
That's a tough call.
I too started in the fall with an adult flock.
Eggs right off the bat was great!
The lice, scaly leg mites, and respiratory issues they brought with them was not so great and took a few years to get under control.

But I bought from a another backyarder, not a hatchery.
Oh man, sorry to hear that. Glad you were able to get things under control! I have considered the same issue when looking at where to get them. I'm thinking a hatchery or local, reputable farm is probably where I'll go.
 

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