Shen Yunfang thought about raising the chicks on the hillside since she had to go up the mountain to feed the pigs every day anyway. It wouldn't delay anything to bring the chickens along.
However, she thought that it was already the end of September, and in just over a month it would get cold. If the chicks were raised on the mountain without a greenhouse to keep them warm, they would only lay eggs for the next month or so. After that, they wouldn't lay again until next spring.
By next spring, she would have just given birth. If circumstances allowed, she planned to join the military with her husband, as it was not ideal to live separately having married and with a child. If she really did leave, she would have to deal with these chickens then.
Thinking it over, she wondered what was the difference between slaughtering the chickens now or later. She could collect eggs for another month, but would need to feed them for an extra half a year.