Raising chicks in the fall offers surprising benefits, whether you’re starting a new flock, adding to an existing flock, or raising meat birds. While spring is traditionally thought of as chick season—when hens go broody and hatcheries send their winter catalogs—autumn flocks can give you hardier birds and higher egg production in the first year.
However, there are advantages to getting chicks in the fall. I was originally attracted to the idea that fall-hatched pullets would ultimately provide more eggs during the first year than spring-hatched pullets. When chicks are hatched in the spring, they reach egg-laying maturity as the summer days are getting shorter, which means they will lay fewer eggs. Although they often lay through the winter, it won’t be anywhere close to an egg a day, which can be expected from most of the better egg-laying breeds throughout summer. They don’t hit their stride and peak production until they are close to 1 year old.
Fall-hatched pullets, on the other hand, reach maturity in the dark of winter, but because of the short days, their bodies defer laying until the days get longer, giving them a couple of more months to mature. At that time, they will quickly shift into maximum production, laying an egg almost every day. Because they are more mature, they also start laying larger eggs from the beginning, so you won’t see many, if any, tiny eggs.
Starting chicks in the fall also has benefits for those in southern states.
“Once spring chicks are of laying age, it gets too hot, so they lay fewer eggs and take a summer break,” says D’Lorin Nail, of Canton, Texas. “Then it gets cooler, and the days get shorter, so they take a winter break.”
If you’re raising chicks in the fall, choosing the right breed can make all the difference in egg production, hardiness, and temperament. These five breeds are excellent options for autumn flocks, whether you want top layers, friendly family birds, or fast-growing meat birds.
1. ISA Browns: A Top Choice for Fall Chickens
ISA Browns were developed more than 30 years ago for top egg-laying abilities, and about 60 percent of the world’s brown eggs are laid by this hybrid sex-linked chicken. (ISA stands for Institut de Sélection Animale, the company that developed the hybrid.)
2. Rhode Island Reds for Raising Chicks in the Fall
Rhode Island Reds produce more eggs than any other dual-purpose (meat-and-egg) bird, laying an average of more than 200 large, brown eggs annually.
3. Australorps: Excellent Fall-Hatched Chicks
This is Australia’s national breed. Australorps are master layers of more than 250-plus large brown eggs annually, laying well into winter.
4. Plymouth Rocks for Raising Fall Chicks
Plymouth Rocks are hardy, dual-purpose, all-American birds that are friendly, quiet and able to adapt to many different climates and living situations.
5. Cornish Cross Broilers: Perfect for Raising Meat for the Fall & Winter
Cornish Cross Broilers can still be ordered, raised and harvested before the first snowfall, depending on where you live. These immense, meaty birds can be ready for harvest at just six weeks of age.
This article about raising chicks in the fall was written for Hobby Farms and Chickens magazines. Click here to subscribe.
