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 Chicks Habitat in
Montague, California
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Montague California,
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. Montague
California also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Montague California, 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 Montague CA.
Baby Chicks And Ducks in
Montague, California
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Montague California
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
Montague California * 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 Montague
California * 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 And Ducks in
Montague, California
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
Montague California 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 Montague,
California Baby chicks are extremely
charming and
difficult to withstand,
but it's best to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first
by collecting not only the
right materials, but
additionally the appropriate
knowledge to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
straightforward, you just have to supply them with the following: A tidy and also cozy
habitat Plenty of food and also water Focus as well as
love Habitat Your habitat could be an easy box, aquarium,
feline provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (without any loosened
strings!) to start, and also after a few weeks make use of straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of only
paper or other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand
malformed. You likewise need
something to dish out food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle container
cover for food as well as a pet dog bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Additionally, as the chicks age you can present a perch
into the environment to obtain them
trained on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks heat you should
give them with a heat source.
This could be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb likewise function very
well (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which can use
up to two months). The recently
hatched require a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 levels,
and weekly this can
be minimized by
about 5 degrees or
so. The heat source must be on simply one side of the cage
to permit chicks a variety of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
contrary edge of your warmth
lamp, you have to
minimize the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
warmth (not merely cuddling),
you need to put some warmth.
Housekeeping
Sanitation is crucial as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to change
the bed linens
often and also
constantly supply tidy
food and also water Food and water.
Chicks expand very fast
which needs a lot of tidy
food and also water. Offer
sufficient in any way times and also check
usually to avoid dehydrated and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared
to adult chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first two months, after that
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and then to a slightly
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks like to obtain a running start on taking
filth baths, while others will not take
up that activity up until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to wash in.
Attention and also love There are a
few benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly most
likely bond with you and also
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
enjoy their habits, you could
catch disease or other issues earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
various other harmful
signs. Make sure to
also take a look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can bring about matted feathers and also blocked cloaca.
Last but not least, it is necessary to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the
smallest chick obtaining picked
on. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now fully feathery
and its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your house
and move outside right into a
coop. Have a look at our
area on chicken cages to get more information
regarding coops and
proper cage environments.
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