NAVIGATION
While we all understand why planting needs to be tied to the seasons for proper sunlight, nutrition, warmth, and water, it’s not quite so obvious when to buy baby chicks. Many homesteaders disagree on the best time to get chicks, but in my experience, starting your flock in the fall will set your flock up for optimal weather, feed savings, and egg sales.
Hi, I’m Ryan
Through years of trial and error, I have learned the best time of year to get chicks for my North Carolina homestead. Even if your climate is different than mine, I recommend my method for timing your flock to cut back on feed costs and prepare for proper spring laying and integration.
Choosing The Best Time Of Year To Get Chicks
While there isn’t one specific month of the year that’s the absolute best time of year to get chicks, most homesteaders choose either spring to early summer or late summer to early fall to purchase chicks due to numerous seasonal factors.
Spring and early summer are popular times for bringing new life to your farm in the form of cute, fluffy chicks, and this is often when chicks are easiest to find in local farm supply stores.
In order to avoid those cute little fluffballs tempting you to impulse buy, it’s always wise to plan in advance when you’ll buy new chicks.
Having a plan means you’ll be prepared with the equipment, feed, and schedule changes you’ll need to keep your chicks healthy, happy, and thriving.
I firmly believe that planning according to my timing schedule will help you cut back on feed costs, have the most eggs at peak egg-selling times, and make the transition from brooder to pen as seamless as possible.
When Is The Best Time To Get Chicks?
Decades of raising chickens on my homestead have taught me that the best time to get chickens is early in the fall. Yes, spring is a perfectly acceptable time to start your flock, but when I started buying chicks in the fall, I found the right rhythm for my homestead. Let me explain why.
Reasons To Buy Chicks In The Fall
While many chicken owners prefer buying chicks in the spring or early summer to avoid having to use a heat lamp as much, I have found that if you live in a mild to cold climate you have to use a heat lamp regardless of the time of year to keep your chicks at a healthy temperature.
When they first arrive at your homestead, chicks will need to maintain a temperature of 95 degrees. This temperature decreases by 5 degrees each week they age — meaning if your nighttime temperatures fall below those temperatures, you’ll need a heat lamp in your brooder.
While the cooling months of fall might require a bit more work for your heat lamps and a little more insulation in your brooder, this would only deter me from starting my flock in the fall if I lived in a very cold climate and couldn’t keep my brooder at a safe temperature. Besides, I’ve learned from experience that fall is the best time for me to get baby chicks for 4 specific reasons.
Homesteaders Have More Time In The Fall
The cooler months mean a lighter workload in my garden and around the rest of my homestead, so I really enjoy setting up my chicken brooder in the fall. The added tasks of ordering chicks and keeping them fed, watered, clean, and warm don’t seem burdensome when I’m mostly working on harvesting my last crops and not doing a lot of planting, upkeep, and maintenance around my property.
Buying Chicks In The Fall Saves Money
One of the perks of buying chicks in the fall is that it costs less to get started. First off, you might very well be able to take advantage of sales on chicks that are “going out of style” as the spring and summer months end.
Even more significantly, though, baby chicks cost less to feed than adult chickens, as they eat a lot less, and by the time they’ve grown to full size, spring vegetation will allow them to supplement a large portion of their diet through foraging.
It’s amazing how much some plants, worms, and bugs can save you on chicken feed throughout the spring and summer months. Your flock’s love for pecking up pests during the warmer seasons can also save you time, money, and general annoyance on pest control around your property. Adult, free-ranging chickens in the spring and summer mean fewer unwanted bugs on your homestead—bugs like ticks, mosquitos, roaches, and more!
Fall Is The Best Time To Get Chicks Gradually Acclimated
Surprisingly, a lot of chicken breeds fare better in the cold than they do in the high temperatures at the peak of summer. Getting your chicks in the fall allows them to gradually transition to cooling temperatures and move outside into your chicken coop during the winter when they are fully feathered and prepared to deal with the cold.
This might not be the case if you live in particularly frigid climates, but it has worked well for me in North Carolina as well as for homesteaders I know in the mid to southern US. I always shoot for buying new chicks in October to allow them time to acclimate.
Fall Chicks Will Start Laying At Peak Egg-Selling Season
The main reason I believe fall is the best time to buy chicks is because fall chicks will start laying right around the time buyers look for eggs. Chicks bought in October and November should be laying by March or April and producing well for the full spring and summer season — the most convenient time for local egg buyers.
By contrast, buying chicks in spring or summer means your new hens will start laying in the fall or winter — months in which the cold weather can decrease their egg laying. If you’re looking for a few extra eggs around the holidays, this might be a good strategy, but if you like to time for peak production and the ability to share or sell excess eggs, this isn’t great timing.
The Downsides Of Fall Chicks And How To Prevent Them
Different climates, unexpected weather, and differences in chicken breeds can all cause some difficulties in acquiring chicks in any season, and fall is no different. As homesteaders, we’re used to rolling with both the punches and the blessings that nature provides, but it’s best to be prepared for some downsides of buying chicks in the fall.
Downsides of buying chicks in the fall
- Chicks can be harder to find in the fall
- Some breeds aren’t cold-weather hardy
- Chicks don’t thrive in harsh climates
- Integration is tricky without free-ranging
My recommendations are based on chicken egg-laying predictions, but if you’re raising turkeys, Muscovy ducks, quail, geese, or meat birds of any kind, check out my other recommendation posts!
Is There Truly A Bad Time To Get Chicks?
While I definitely think fall is the best time to get chickens on my homestead, there are pros and cons to every season. The only bad time to get chicks is when you don’t have the time, energy, or space for them. As long as you’re well prepared, you can fill your brooder with little fluffy butts during any month of the year, provided you’re able to find a seller.
Getting Chickens In The Winter
Many homesteaders swear by winter chicks. I’m not afraid of raising chicks in cooler temperatures, and there are some definite benefits to choosing this season, with the chicks transitioning to the outdoors right around spring thaws and very near foraging season.
Winter also keeps some of the same advantages as fall in that your chicks will start laying during peak egg-selling season and they’ll often be on sale as well.
The downsides of choosing winter as your chick-raising season
- Adding homesteading chores to the cold months
- Heating brooder in below freezing temperatures
- Risking your chicks getting chilled in shipping
- Increasing your chicks’ vulnerability to pests
For spring eggs, purchase your chicks in early December. For summer eggs, purchase your chicks in January.
Getting Chickens In The Spring
Spring is the traditional time to add chicks to your homestead for a reason. While I still prefer the end of the year for adding to my flock, spring is an exciting time of year on the homestead, and it’s certainly tempting to add some cute new life to your farm as the weather warms.
Chicks are prevalent and highly marketed in spring, and they’ll need to spend far less time in the brooder under heat lamps than fall and winter chicks.
In addition to being free to thrive without exposure to harsh weather, they’ll also start laying eggs in the fall — right when older chickens will be slowing down for the winter.
The downsides to spring chicks are more about the timing than anything and will vary depending on your own homesteading goals.
Downsides to spring chicks depends on your own homesteading goals
- Adding homesteading chores to the busy planting season
- Having minimum purchase requirements at supply stores
- Not having the most eggs during peak egg-selling seasons
For late summer eggs, purchase your chicks in March. For mid-fall eggs, purchase your chicks in May.
Getting Chickens In The Summer
Summer chicks are fairly easy to come by, need far less electric heat than fall, winter, or spring chicks, and tend to become active in their brooder very quickly since they don’t need to huddle for warmth. The activity and extra water consumption often mean less “poopy butt,” which is a blessing for any chicken owner.
The downsides to summer chicks are heat and timing related
- Spending extra time refilling their water to avoid dehydration
- Monitoring their water and temperature to avoid overheating
- Providing sunny and shaded space so chicks can cool down
- Not having the most eggs during peak egg-selling seasons
For fall eggs, purchase your chicks in June. For winter eggs, purchase your chicks in August.
At the end of the day, any time you choose to get chicks can work well if you’re prepared to keep your fluffy new friends fed, watered, clean, sheltered, safe from pests, and at the right temperature. I chose fall as the best time of year to get chicks to add to my coop because the timing just works well for me — both for the extra workload and for the peak months of egg laying.
More tips and recommendations from a seasoned homesteader and chicken owner
Your Turn!
- What seasons have you tried purchasing chicks on your homestead?
- What flock integration problems have you had when adding new chicks?
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