Recently, with the prices of food rising, especially eggs, we decided that we wanted to make a concentrated effort to raise chickens. I have never had the opportunity to interact with chickens other than in grade school when we hatched baby chickens in incubators, so I knew this would have a steep learning curve. After scouring the internet for sites on the different breeds of chickens, we were pleased to discover which had fairly good descriptions and accompanying pictures.
We decided on four different breeds:
1) Brahma:
2) Delaware:
3) Barred Rock:
and one we’re not sure of. We were told she was a Rhode Island Red (), but now we’re assuming she’s an
4) Ameraucana:
We purchased them at 2 weeks old and they’re about 3 months now. One thing I was not prepared for is that each hen has her own personality and quirks, not unlike a puppy. They are curious about everything and always come up to greet us. We decided to not invest in a rooster since our neighbors are relatively close and our alarm clocks are more than adequate.
Besides eggs and meat, another great benefit to having chickens is that their waste can be composted and used as fertilizer. Since they eat practically anything, they also make great food scrap disposals too!
If any of you decide to acquire your own flock of chickens be certain to buy or build your chicken coup first. Chickens grow amazingly fast and before you know it, they will have outgrown their temporary living arrangements. We decided to build our own coup and let me tell you, they take up a great deal of time. We ended up building a 6′ x 6′ base, covered the floor with linoleum, complete with a triangular based roof of which one side “hatches” open for easy cleaning. The whole coup is on wooden stilts attached to concrete slabs which anchor it to the ground. The chicken door opens up into a large chicken run. Our design was pieced together from several other coup designs that others have posted on the internet.
Have you had experiences with chickens? If so, feel free to comment and share.
Barred Rock and a "We're Not Quite Sure" Hen
Baby Chickens Names in
Locust Grove, Arkansas
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Locust Grove Arkansas,
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. Locust Grove
Arkansas also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Locust Grove Arkansas, 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 Locust Grove AR.
Baby Chickens 101 in
Locust Grove, Arkansas
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Locust Grove Arkansas
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
Locust Grove Arkansas * 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 Locust Grove
Arkansas * 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
Near Me in
Locust Grove, Arkansas
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
Locust Grove Arkansas 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 Locust Grove,
Arkansas Baby chicks are really
charming and also
hard to resist,
but it's ideal to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
appropriate materials, yet
likewise the correct
expertise to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
easy, you simply should supply them with the following: A tidy as well as warm and comfortable
habitat A lot of food as well
as water Interest and also
love Environment Your habitat could be a
simple box, fish tank,
cat carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (without any loose
strings!) to start, as well as after a few weeks make use of straw over paper.
Note: Avoid utilizing just
newspaper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
misshapen. You likewise require
something to dish out food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food as well as a pet bird water dispenser from an animal store. Also, as the chicks age you can present a perch
into the environment to obtain them
educated on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks heat you have to
give them with a heat resource.
This could be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb additionally function very
well (my
referral). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which can use
up to 2 months). The recently
hatched out require a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 levels,
as well as weekly this could
be minimized by
roughly 5 levels approximately. The warmth resource must be on merely one side of the cage
to permit chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
contrary corner of your heat
light, you need to
decrease the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not just snuggling),
you should include some heat.
Housekeeping
Sanitation is essential as
well as it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to change
the bed linens
frequently and
always provide clean
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks expand quite quick
which requires lots of clean
food and also water. Provide
enough whatsoever times and also inspect
often to avoid dehydrated as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, and it is available in both medicated and non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, then
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for one more 2 months,
then to a somewhat
reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks like to get a running start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others will not take
up that activity till they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Interest and love There are a couple of advantages to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly probably bond with you and
not run away as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
see their actions, you can
catch illness or various
other problems previously. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
other harmful
indicators. Make certain to
also look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could cause matted plumes and also stopped up cloaca.
Finally, it is important to look out
for social problems, such as the
tiniest chick getting teased. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety of your residence
and relocate outside right into a
coop. Look into our
part on chicken coops for more information
regarding coops and also
correct cage environments.
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