Best time to get chicks?

[crunchygranola]

Struggling to figure out which time would be best to get chicks…
I want to be able to incorporate them into my current adult flock by the time it starts getting warm out. I got my first flock at the end of February, and they went out in April because March was FREEZING for me this year.
I want to get bantams (I live in the suburbs and I am also just in LOVE with bantams) but I don’t know when I should get them. Yins opinions?

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

Struggling to figure out which time would be best to get chicks…
I want to be able to incorporate them into my current adult flock by the time it starts getting warm out. I got my first flock at the end of February, and they went out in April because March was FREEZING for me this year.
I want to get bantams (I live in the suburbs and I am also just in LOVE with bantams) but I don’t know when I should get them. Yins opinions?

If you have normal chickens that have never seen bantams, crested, or fuzzy chickens ever it’s not a good idea because they might kill them. Bantams are not a good idea in a normal flock anyways because they may be smushed. I suggest to order chicks during not hot not cold but warm and cool times of the year, if you want to incorporate them into your main flock make a pen in your main run and then once old enough, I like to open the door and put the feeder in front of it so the adults can’t get in there and the babies can hide, I’ve done this so much that my flock automatically accepts and cares for the babies. After a while of seeing each other your flock should take in normal chickens but if you want a bantam pen buy silkies and non fuzzy bantams together so they can get used to different chickens and you can add more crested and fuzzy chickens later.

 

[crunchygranola]

If you have normal chickens that have never seen bantams, crested, or fuzzy chickens ever it’s not a good idea because they might kill them. Bantams are not a good idea in a normal flock anyways because they may be smushed. I suggest to order chicks during not hot not cold but warm and cool times of the year, if you want to incorporate them into your main flock make a pen in your main run and then once old enough, I like to open the door and put the feeder in front of it so the adults can’t get in there and the babies can hide, I’ve done this so much that my flock automatically accepts and cares for the babies. After a while of seeing each other your flock should take in normal chickens but if you want a bantam pen buy silkies and non fuzzy bantams together so they can get used to different chickens and you can add more crested and fuzzy chickens later.

Two of my hens have crests, but I wasn’t planning on getting crested ones. Thanks so much for this— it’s really helpful!
They get to free range most of the time, too, unless I can’t be with them for some reason. Will having that space help them integrate too?

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

Two of my hens have crests, but I wasn’t planning on getting crested ones. Thanks so much for this— it’s really helpful!
They get to free range most of the time, too, unless I can’t be with them for some reason. Will having that space help them integrate too?

You’ll need to build the babies a pen where the adults can see and then slowly let them free range but unless you have bantams with your flock (silkies and polish are bantams) then you shouldn’t get any but if you have the polish or silkies you could get some Cochin bantams and other bantams that aren’t super tiny

 

[crunchygranola]

You’ll need to build the babies a pen where the adults can see and then slowly let them free range but unless you have bantams with your flock (silkies and polish are bantams) then you shouldn’t get any but if you have the polish or silkies you could get some Cochin bantams and other bantams that aren’t super tiny

Okay. Sounds good! Thanks for letting me know.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I have bantams in my flock. Hey have never saw a smaller chicken or a bantam before i integrated mine in. They are doing amazing. My chickens are fairly easy on new chicks/hens, but i do 2 weeks see no touch, a week of slow integration. Then as needed i do anothet week or they qre fully integrated.
I always get mine in spring/summer. Nice thing about summer is most the time its warm enough to raise them in the coop. I wont do a fall hatch again because it was cold trying to integrate. Ive never ordered before but if i did being in Wisconsin itd be May-June or September
Build a small second coop with a pen inside your existing run/setup. Raise the babies until 4-5 weeks and integrate.

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

I have bantams in my flock. Hey have never saw a smaller chicken or a bantam before i integrated mine in. They are doing amazing. My chickens are fairly easy on new chicks/hens, but i do 2 weeks see no touch, a week of slow integration. Then as needed i do anothet week or they qre fully integrated.
I always get mine in spring/summer. Nice thing about summer is most the time its warm enough to raise them in the coop. I wont do a fall hatch again because it was cold trying to integrate. Ive never ordered before but if i did being in Wisconsin itd be May-June or September
Build a small second coop with a pen inside your existing run/setup. Raise the babies until 4-5 weeks and integrate.

I trust my hens around bantams but some that have never seen any will not be nice or careful to them

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

I trust my hens around bantams but some that have never seen any will not be nice or careful to them

That’s why I recommend they don’t get bantams in a normal chicken flock

 

[Muser]

I live in the UK, Spring's a little chillier than I'd like and a whole lot of rain. I like getting/raising chicks in the summer. I like to time it around July/August hatching time, because the girls I keep get to go a whole year without a molt time since they are feathering in September so miss the Autumn molt the first time around.

Plus my broody hen loves that time of year too, I go along with her if I can help it. Plus people seem to sell a lot of hatching eggs between spring/summer and then it's harder to get them in Autumn/Winter (for obvious reasons).

 

[JedJackson]

I agree about the bantams. If you get them all as babies and raise them along with large fowl chicks, no problem. Introducing new bantams to an established flock of large chicken could well be a problem.

Also, if you were planning on getting chicks, and live in an area where roosters are not allowed, you might run into problems, too. Because bantam chicks are rarely sold sexed. Most of the time it is straight run only, though I'm sure it's possible to find them.

If you really have your heart set on bantams, maybe set up a separate coop for them if you can.