I am often asked what the best time is to bring new chicks into your flock.  I raise chicks much of the year depending on our breeding goals. There are benefits to each season of the year - mostly based on when the hens will start to lay and start their first molt. 

 

First, a few facts to keep in mind when discussing which season to raise chicks:

 

• Most chicken hens generally start laying around 18-22 weeks old

• Laying eggs generally requires minimum of 12-14 hours of daylight (except for winter laying breeds)

• Chickens 18 months and older go through a molting period every Fall - during this time, hens will stop laying so their bodies can focus on growing new feathers

• Young hens often continue to lay through their first winter (sometimes at a lower level) until they molt in the next Fall

• February / March (depending on your location) is the time when days are long enough that most hens start laying again if they took a winter break

 

Spring (March to May): 

Spring is nature's classic cycle for reproductive ferver in the animal kingdom.  It's also the most popular season for chicken keepers to bring chicks into the world.  Generally you will find the largest selection of chicks from early spring to mid-summer.  There is one great benefit to hatching chicks in Spring:  they will start laying eggs (between weeks 18-22 in age depending on the breed) before the days get shorter and egg laying slows down.  Then they will likely continue to lay during their first winter.

 

Summer (June to July):

This is probably the easiest time to raise chicks due to warm temperatures.  Chicks are known to grow faster and be more resilient when the weather is consistently warm versus some chilly early spring or late fall days.  Some say there's less risk for pasty butt due to the warm weather promoting more consistent digestion.  Integration outdoors is easier when the weather is warm - and can even happen earlier.  (I move my chicks outdoors with a heater as early as 3 weeks in summer!)  This is always a bonus when fighting the dust produced by keeping chicks indoors.  The downside is that they will not start laying before the shorter days arrive which will delay their laying start until February/March the next year.   My Summer chicks often put on a nice healthy weight by the time they start laying early next year, which can sometimes result in larger chickens overall.

 

Late Summer to Fall (Aug to October): 

While this is a less popular time to hatch, I actually quite like Fall hatching because it is perfect timing for young hens to start laying eggs at 5-6 months at the start of the normal laying season around February / March.  I become so impatient in the late summer waiting for spring chicks to start laying - it somehow feels easier to endure this wait more patiently in the winter when I'm spending much less time outdoors watching live chicken TV and much more time indoors distracted by other things.  You also won't have unnecessary 'wasted' months of feeding young hens who aren't laying and earning their keep like with summer chicks.  :-D  When they start laying, you will benefit from two FULL Spring / Summer laying seasons and a winter in-between before they start their first molt.  In my mind, you are maximizing their first laying run.  Only caution I see is to make sure they are fully feathered in Fall before introducing them to the outdoors as temperatures may be quickly getting cooler at night.

 

Winter (November to February):

While this feels like a very unnatural season to bring young ones into the world in the bird kingdom, it is quite popular for chicken farmers to hatch chicks in winter in order to sell Pullets in the Spring.  These chicks will start laying in Spring to Summer and continue laying (albiet at a lower level) in their first winter.  Again, caution needed due to cold temperatures when bringing chicks outside after 5-6 weeks in the brooder.