Baby Chickens for Sale in Montevallo, Alabama
Baby Chickens for Sale in Montevallo, Alabama
What Chickens Taught Our Kids About Responsibility
One of our goals as parents is to teach our children responsibility and accountability. As organic dairy farmers in southeastern Minnesota, we have a strong work ethic and feel that staying in bed until 7am is sleeping in!
Summer vacation was looming. We didn't want our daughters (ages 12 & 9) to just hang around without having something productive to do each morning that would get them out of bed. Since our milking setup wasn't conducive to having them help, we needed another option. My husband came up with the idea of having them raise chickens. The girls would do the work, market the birds, and keep the money to put toward fun activities with their friends and school clothes for the fall. Besides giving them a reason to get up in the morning, we felt that our plan would also help them learn some basic money skills.
We started with 300 day-old chicks. My husband, Chuck, and the girls picked them up from the feed store. They carefully dipped the beak of each bird in water and set them on the floor lined with newspaper. The heat from the brooder stove kept their furry little yellow bodies warm.
Each morning and late afternoon, the girls would go down and take care of their chickens. They cleaned the waterers and filled them with fresh, cool water. They poured food into the feeders scattered around the room. They watched the little birds to make sure they were doing okay.
Every few days for the first couple of weeks they had to remove the soiled newspaper and replace it with fresh, clean newspaper. As the weeks went by, the birds grew. Finally they were ready for butchering. We loaded the live birds into crates and took them to a USDA processing facility that was several miles from our home. The next day we went back and picked up the dressed (cleaned), frozen birds.
The girls went to several networking (BNI) meetings with me to market their birds. They brought a bird to show, talked about their project, described how tasty the birds were, and handed out flyers for ordering. They learned how to give a specific 60-second commercial that made the audience drool (especially when they talked about chicken cooked on the grill with BBQ sauce). They sold over 230 birds through word-of-mouth marketing.
The next year we ordered 600 birds. The process was the same but the girls weren't as excited. It took more coaxing (and occasional threats) to get them to do the chores. To be honest, it would have been easier for me to have done the chores myself, but that wasn't teaching them what I wanted them to learn.
The next year, my husband ordered 900 birds without consulting our daughters or me. Our daughters rebelled and refused to take care of them. They found it more fun to trap gophers because they made good money and they got to DRIVE out in the fields. Driving to make money was so much cooler than walking down to the chicken barn! I ended up doing the chicken chores. That was the last year we had chickens.
Our family learned some great lessons from this experience. These lessons apply both in life and in business. We learned:
- There is an adrenaline rush and higher energy level when we are introduced to something new. It's usually temporary.
- Getting support from the people who are supposed to be helping us is critical. If they don't want to do it, it either won't get done or won't get done well. There is massive effort and energy involved in trying to convince someone to do something on a regular or consistent basis if they don't want to do it. This applies whether it's our kids, spouse, or employees!
- Be aware of the trends (or the temperament of kids in this case) and how the changes will affect us and what we want to accomplish. If the chicken barn had been in a different location where they would have had to DRIVE to it, they probably would have had chickens one more year.
- Know when to move on!
I love sharing this story and then drawing comparisons on how it applies as business professionals and speakers. The audience resonates strongly and remembers the story for years to come. Think about your own life - what stories can you bring to life from the stage that can be associated with you and remembered for years to come?
Sue
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Baby Chicks Outside in Montevallo, Alabama
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Montevallo Alabama, including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more. Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Montevallo Alabama also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Montevallo Alabama, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale, turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale, chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of baby chicks for sale in Montevallo AL.Baby Chickens Raising in Montevallo, Alabama
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Montevallo Alabama catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to their site and request one if you are interested.Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Montevallo Alabama * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Montevallo
Alabama * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Baby Chickens Eggs in Montevallo, Alabama
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in Montevallo Alabama is easy and has always been a very pleasant experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Montevallo, Alabama Baby chicks are quite adorable as well as hard to withstand, but it's ideal to prepare for their arrival before you get them. Prepare first by compiling not just the proper materials, however additionally the proper understanding to take care of them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably basic, you simply should supply them with the following: A clean and also warm environment Plenty of food and water Focus and also love Environment Your habitat could be an easy box, aquarium, pet cat carrier, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and also blankets (without loose strings!) to start, and after a couple of weeks use straw over newspaper. Note: Avoid using only newspaper or other sandal surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow malformed. You additionally need something to provide food and also water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar cover for food as well as a pet dog bird water dispenser from an animal store. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch right into the environment to get them trained on setting down. Warmth To maintain your chicks heat you have to provide them with a warmth source. This can be as basic as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb also function extremely well (my suggestion). Chicks require this heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is changed with feathers (which can take up to 2 months). The newly hatched need a temperature level in between 90 and 100 levels, as well as every week this could be minimized by approximately 5 levels or so. The heat resource must be on merely one side of the cage to allow chicks a variety of temperature levels. The chicks are your finest thermometer- if they are hiding in the opposite edge of your heat lamp, you should decrease the temperature level. If they are smothering each other under the warmth (not merely curling up), you have to put some warmth. Housekeeping Cleanliness is essential and also it maintains your chicks healthy and balanced. Be sure to alter the bed linens usually and consistently provide clean food as well as water Food as well as water. Chicks expand very fast which requires lots of tidy food and water. Supply enough in any way times as well as inspect often to prevent dehydrated and hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared to adult chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated and also non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the initial 2 months, after that change to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for another 2 months, and afterwards to a somewhat lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks want to get a running start on taking dirt baths, while others won't use up that activity until they are older. If you have the space in your chick room, present a tray of sand or dust for them to shower in. Interest and love There are a few advantages to hanging out with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly most likely bond with you and not run away as adults. Second, if you examine your chicks daily and also view their habits, you could capture illness or other troubles previously. Keep an eye out for hissing, limping, or various other harmful indications. Make sure to likewise check out their poop, as looseness of the bowels can bring about matted plumes and also blocked cloaca. Finally, it is important to watch out for social problems, such as the smallest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest syndrome So your chicks are currently fully feathered and also its time for them to leave the security of your house as well as relocate outside into a cage. Check out our part on chicken cages to get more information about cages as well as correct coop habitats.Baby Chicks Male Baby Chicks Breeds
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