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
Raising in
Seaside, California
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Seaside 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. Seaside
California also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Seaside 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 Seaside CA.
Baby Chickens Mail in
Seaside, California
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Seaside 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
Seaside 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 Seaside
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 Chickens For Sale Free Shipping in
Seaside, 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
Seaside 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 Seaside,
California Baby chicks are extremely
adorable and also
hard to resist,
however it's finest to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first
by collecting not just the
appropriate materials, yet
likewise the appropriate
expertise to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
basic, you simply need
to provide them with the following: A tidy and warm
habitat Lots of food and also water Attention and
love Habitat Your habitat could be an easy box, fish tank,
pet cat carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
blankets (with no loosened
strings!) to begin, and also after a
couple of weeks utilize straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid making use of just
paper or other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You likewise require
something to provide food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food and also a pet dog bird water dispenser from a pet store. Also, as the chicks age you can present a perch
right into the environment to obtain them
educated on setting down. Warmth To
keep your chicks heat you should
give them with a heat resource.
This could be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb likewise work very
well (my
suggestion). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can take up to 2 months). The freshly
hatched out require a temperature level
in between 90 and also 100 levels,
as well as each week this could
be decreased by
roughly 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource must be on simply one side of the cage
to enable chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
opposite corner of your warmth
lamp, you should
decrease the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
warmth (not just cuddling),
you have to include some warmth.
Home cleaning
Sanitation is key and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Make sure to transform
the bed linen
often and
consistently give tidy
food as well as water Food and water.
Chicks grow quite fast
which calls for lots of clean
food and also water. Supply
sufficient whatsoever times and also check
frequently to
stop parched and
starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated and
also non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, after that
switch to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and after that to a somewhat
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks like to get a running start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't occupy that task till they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Focus and love There are a couple of advantages to spending time with your chicks. Firstly, they will most
likely bond with you as well as
not escape as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and also
enjoy their habits, you could
capture illness or other troubles previously. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
various other unhealthy
indicators. Make sure to
also consider
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could result in matted feathers as well
as obstructed cloaca.
Finally, it is important to watch out for social concerns, such as the
smallest chick getting badgered. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now completely feathery
as well as its time for them to leave the
security of your home
and also move outside into a cage. Look into our
section on chicken coops for more information
about cages and also
appropriate coop habitats.
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