These pages are part of a growing information resource inspired by, and based on, decades of helping domestic poultry keepers find the right solutions for their situation and our own experience breeding birds to improve selected UK pure breeds. No "out of the box, one size fits all" here. We recognise the individuality of your circumstances and have the experience, and the range of answers, to help you and your birds. It is far from complete please bear with us, and return to learn more.

WHEN TO BUY BIRDS

Its rather unfortunate that the time when most people get inspired to buy birds, the spring, is the absolutely opposite end of the year to that which the best pure breeds are available !

Good pure breed poultry and waterfowl keepers will set and hatch their eggs when the conditions are at their optimum. This means the birds are out on clean range, with the grass growing, lots of bugs and grubs around and plenty of bright sunlight. These birds will be active and energetic, mating and laying well. Obviously this varies by a few weeks around the country but really setting eggs from March onwards is a good rule of thumb.

So the first birds at point of lay from these hatchings will not be ready until the beginning of August.
If the breeder continues to hatch eggs through the season, if they have the space and the facilities to raise lots of different batches of young birds, which will need to be kept separate as they grow, and require considerable time and attention, then he may do so until around July.
These last birds would be ready around end of November, but could have got outside in the late summer when there is lots of seeds, bugs and decent weather to get themselves a great start in life.

To hatch later means that the young birds are being raised in the late autumn and winter when the weather is worse. For good breeders who raise their birds outside this is not ideal as the young growers get wet and chilled.
Many breeds will be slowing down and even finishing their lay. Most ducks will go into eclipse in the late summer. Chickens tend to be a couple of months later.
The heat in parts of the country can make birds lethargic.

The hybrids are potentially available all year around because the parent birds are in vast indoor units with carefully controlled light and environment cycles. Actual supplies will depend on each agents facilities and how well booked up they are. Clearly no one person can have 18 week old birds ready just like that all year around.
If you are wanting hybrids then find an agent who is growing the birds as you want and book your birds. -- very few are free range reared and they tend to be booked up well in advance.

If you cannot find anyone who free range rears their birds and you want them to be as strong as possible, and have a separate house for them you can get birds from 10 weeks onwards and raise them yourself. They are great to have around and you will have stronger healthier birds.

There are some exhibition breeders who have birds indoors who hatch out of season to have birds more mature for the showing season.
Otherwise birds who were hatched in the winter can be much weaker in the long run;

they may be eggs from young pullets who are completely unproven,

adult birds are just out of moult so have depleted resources to put into the eggs,

young birds do not have access to optimum conditions of light and range.

Tim and Jill Bowis
Kintaline Mill Farm, Benderloch, OBAN Argyll PA37 1QS Scotland
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