In a few weeks, 26 chicks will invade our house. I have never personally raised chickens before and I’m getting a little nervous. Today I thought I would spout out some random chicken facts so that I feel prepared for the invasion. Um, right.
So, here are some things about chickens that I didn’t know a year ago.
Bantam: a mini chicken. Usually a breed of chicken has a full sized and a bantam size.
Wattle: the little red flap of skin that hangs under a chicken’s chin. (I always think of Allie McBeal. Does anyone else remember the guy on that show who had a wattle obsession?)
Girl chickens (hens) do not require a boy chicken (rooster) to lay eggs. They can lay without him around – the eggs just aren’t fertile and can’t turn into baby chicks.
People at the feed store look at you funny if you refer to hens and roosters as girl and boy chickens.
Some birds are better at laying eggs so they are referred to as egg layers. Others taste better so they are called meat birds. Some do both jobs pretty well and are given the title dual purpose. And yet others just stand around looking pretty so they are called exhibition or show birds.
Heritage chickens are breeds of chickens that are older and usually haven’t been specifically bred to increase egg laying or meat production. Often they are considered dual purpose.
Meat birds have different labels depending on when they are butchered. Broilers or fryers are usually butchered younger (the age depends on the breed) and typically weigh less than 3.5 pounds. Roasters are 4 or 5 pounds while stewing chickens are the oldest and weigh the most. They are usually laying hens who are done laying. They need to be cooked for a long time to soften up their tough meat.
An old biddy is an affectionate name for an old laying hen. It is NOT a good nickname for your wife. It CAN be used when talking about crabby women – as long as you are a woman yourself and the person you’re talking about isn’t around.
The term “sexed” does not mean what you might think. (And I’m not telling you what I thought it meant.) It means getting the gender of chicken that you want when you order from a hatchery (typically females if you want laying hens).
Ordering chicks “straight run” means getting both males and females. You can usually do this with meat birds because you will butcher them before the hens start laying eggs or the rooster get too, well, rooster-y.
So now that I’ve proven my abilities for listing random chicken facts, I feel much better about my poultry-raising skills.
Um, right.
Thanks to my dad for the chicken pictures and for fielding all my chicken-related questions!
Other posts that might be of interest:
Baby
Chickens Hatchery in
Green Valley, Arizona
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Green Valley Arizona,
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. Green Valley
Arizona also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Green Valley Arizona, 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 Green Valley AZ.
Baby Chicks Gender in
Green Valley, Arizona
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Green Valley Arizona
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
Green Valley Arizona * 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 Green Valley
Arizona * 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 Chicks By Mail in
Green Valley, Arizona
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
Green Valley Arizona 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 Green Valley,
Arizona Baby chicks are quite
charming and
tough to stand up to,
but it's best to plan for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
appropriate materials, yet
likewise the proper
knowledge to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
simple, you just have to give them with the following: A tidy and warm
habitat A lot of food and water Focus and also
love Environment Your habitat can be a straightforward box, fish tank,
feline service provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without loosened
strings!) to start, and after a
couple of weeks use straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using just
paper or other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
misshapen. You likewise require
something to provide food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle container
lid for food and also a pet dog bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Also, as the chicks get
older you can introduce a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
educated on setting down. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you need to
provide them with a heat resource.
This could be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb additionally work extremely well (my
referral). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which could take up to two months). The newly
hatched require a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 levels,
and also every week this can
be lowered by
around 5 degrees approximately. The warmth source need to be on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks a variety of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
other corner of your heat
light, you need to
reduce the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
warmth (not merely cuddling),
you should put some heat.
House cleaning
Tidiness is vital as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Make sure to change
the bed linens
usually as well as
consistently offer tidy
food and also water Food and water.
Chicks grow very fast
which calls for lots of tidy
food and water. Offer
sufficient in any way times and inspect
frequently to avoid thirsty and
starving chicks. Chick food is various compared
to grown-up chicken food, and also it comes
in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for an additional 2 months,
then to a somewhat
lower protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to get a head start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't take
up that activity till they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
unit, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to wash in.
Interest and love There are a couple of advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. First of all, they will most
likely bond with you as well as
not flee as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
watch their actions, you can
catch illness or other issues earlier. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
various other undesirable
signs. Make sure to
also look at
their poop, as diarrhea can cause matted plumes and also stopped up cloaca.
Lastly, it is necessary to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
smallest chick obtaining badgered. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently totally feathery
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your house
as well as relocate outside into a cage. Check out our
part on chicken cages for more information
about cages and also
correct coop environments.
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