I agree with Mike and I also don't hatch in the Fall & Winter. Partly because by the time this time of year rolls around I'm so sick & tired of taking care of chicks that I wanna break but mostly because I've found my chicks hatched late in the year just don't do as well. As it is now, I've got some 8wk olds that probably won't grow as well thru the winter.
I hatched a ton of chicks this year in the hopes of making some giant moves forward and it seems like all I'm ever doing is cleaning brooders and chickhouses. That and moving birds around at night in the grow out pens because they never seem to get back to the right ones.
Not only that but I'm already going thru 75 lbs. of chick feed PER DAY! That doesn't include Layer Pellets and Flock Raiser. Though I did just lower the feed bill this evening when I sold $150 in roosters and gave away another 15 or more. So now I've got at least 40 less birds to feed.
Bad news is that's only about 1/3 of what I still need to pick thru of which most are still Ameraucanas that will take many more months before I'll be able to tell whether I can cull them. Good news is it's getting harder and taking longer to look them over to make the decision.
I also agree with Sharon. Yes, it's OCD...Obsessive Chicken Disorder!!
God Bless,