# New



## thepoleys (Aug 18, 2012)

Living in Missouri I was wondering if there was an optimum/worse time to start raising chickens?


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## ThreeJ (Jun 28, 2012)

Hi and welcome. Spring would be the best time.Lets them get bigger before the cold weather sets in. Unless you have a heated coop for them, then anytime would work.


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## jjwilson72000 (Jun 21, 2012)

Spring best, Late fall worst.


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## Roslyn (Jun 21, 2012)

I agree Spring. It's a light thing as well. In Spring the light is growing longer each day, in Fall it's getting less and less. The couple of times I've had hens sit late in the Fall (had peeps hatch on Thanksgiving Day!) the peeps grow slow and are very small when full grown.

The fastest maturing peeps I've ever raised were in a greenhouse, so they got the most hours of sunlight over lamplight. They feathered faster and grew faster than any other batch of peeps! However when roosters are in a greenhouse during a bright full moon they crow *all night long.........*


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## Energyvet (Jul 25, 2012)

Pineal gland. It all about how much light gets into the eyes. Very interesting confirmation of how that works.


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## oakwood (Aug 21, 2012)

Hello from UK.


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