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Hatching in Autumn - Why It Makes Sense

Discover why autumn is a great time to hatch chicks, helping young Hens mature through winter and reach point of lay just as spring begins.

HATCHING AND REARING

Why Autumn Can Be a Great Time to Hatch Chicks

A lot of people automatically think of spring as the best time to hatch chicks, but there are actually some very good reasons for hatching later in the year.

One of the biggest advantages is when your young birds will reach point of lay.

Most pullets begin laying at somewhere around 18–24 weeks old, although this varies depending on breed, weather and the individual bird. If you hatch in September or early autumn, your youngsters should be approaching point of lay as the days begin getting longer again in late winter and early spring.

That means they are coming into maturity just as nature is encouraging hens to start laying.

By comparison, chicks hatched in spring often reach point of lay around late summer or September. They may start laying perfectly well, but as the daylight hours rapidly shorten going into autumn and winter, some young hens will slow down or stop again fairly quickly.

You can therefore spend months raising spring chicks, get a few eggs — and then find yourself waiting until the following spring for them to really get going.

With an autumn hatch, you are doing the waiting while they are growing.

By spring, you should have mature young hens ready to make the most of the increasing daylight.

The Slightly Tricky Part – Moving Outside

The main thing that needs a little more thought with autumn chicks is when they leave the warmth of the brooder and start living outside.

During warmer weather, fully feathered chicks can normally make the transition quite easily. During autumn and winter, I prefer to take things a little more slowly.

Rather than assuming they must go outside at six weeks, you may decide to keep them indoors until seven or eight weeks, particularly if the weather is cold, wet or windy.

Once they are well feathered, start gradually reducing their heat rather than suddenly taking it away.

Let them become accustomed to living indoors without additional heat for a short period first. This gives them the chance to adjust to cooler temperatures without also having to cope with wind and damp weather at the same time.

Introduce the Outdoors Gradually

When they are ready, begin putting them outside during the daytime.

A sheltered run on a reasonably dry day is ideal.

For the first few days, you can bring them back indoors at night. Alternatively, if they are staying outside, make sure they are properly tucked into a dry, draught-free coop with plenty of deep, clean shavings or bedding to snuggle into.

Cold itself isn't usually the biggest problem for a healthy, fully feathered youngster.

Cold combined with damp and draughts is what you really want to avoid.

Give them somewhere warm, dry and sheltered, and they will gradually harden off and become accustomed to outdoor temperatures.

Why I Like Hatching Later in the Year

For me, the timing simply makes sense.

Hatch in autumn, raise them through the quieter winter months, and by spring you have young birds approaching maturity just as the natural laying season begins.

Hatch in spring and they can reach maturity just as the days are becoming shorter.

Of course, every bird and every breed is slightly different, and nobody can guarantee exactly when an individual hen will begin laying.

But if you are planning ahead for eggs next year, don't automatically assume that you have missed your chance to hatch because summer has finished.

Autumn can actually be one of the most useful times to start.

Your chicks spend winter growing.

Then, when spring arrives, they are ready.

At Parkside Poultry, we hatch and raise a variety of poultry and quail, and fertile hatching eggs are available seasonally depending on what our birds are laying.

If you are thinking about hatching your own birds, autumn may be a much better time to start than you realised.

It's not too late