On the homestead
How our hatch windows work
Why we offer hatching eggs and chicks by season instead of on demand — and how to get on the list for the next window.
· 1 min read · Craft Homestead
We don't sell hatching eggs and chicks on demand. We sell them by window. It's the most common question we get, so here's how it works — and why.
Hens keep a calendar
Laying follows daylight. As days lengthen toward spring, our hens lay more, and more consistently, and fertility and shell quality are at their best. In the heat of a Northeast Florida summer, laying slows and heat is hard on eggs and newly hatched chicks alike. As temperatures ease in the fall, we get a second, smaller window.
So rather than promise eggs we can't stand behind, we plan around the flock:
- Spring interest opens in January. This is our main season.
- Fall interest opens in July. A shorter window, depending on how the flock comes through summer.
From egg to chick in 21 days
A chicken egg takes about 21 days to hatch. For day-old chicks, that means the chicks you reserve were eggs in our incubator three weeks earlier — so chick availability always trails egg availability, and it depends on how each hatch goes.
Why availability changes by breed
Each breed runs on its own rhythm. One may be laying heavily while another is resting or molting, which is why the shop shows availability breed by breed — in stock, limited, waitlist or sold out — rather than one big number.
How to get on the list
- Request availability. Tell us which breeds you're after, eggs or chicks, and roughly how many.
- We confirm the details. We'll follow up with timing for the next window, breed options, and pickup or shipping.
- Orders are prepaid and filled first-come, first-served as each window opens.
It's a slower way to buy poultry. We think it's a better one: you're getting eggs and chicks from a flock that's laying at its best, not whatever happens to be on the shelf.
