Our new chicks (from left) Cruella, Susie and Phyllis.
There are few things as exciting for owners of backyard chickens as getting new chicks. They are just so cute and fuzzy. We picked up our little girls on Tuesday, January 29 from the breeder we bought Zsa Zsa from. This time we had some complications with our chicks. In the first few weeks we wound up losing two of the four chicks to what appeared to be cocci. Following is a bit of information about our two survivors and some lessons learned.
This is Susie (Susan B. Anthony) our blue cochin who will be large and silver.
My wife can come up with some clever names. Our Blue Cochin will grow into a very large blue/silver colored chicken. She is the largest of our chicks and is probably between 1-2 weeks old. She has a very loud chirp. She was loud enough that she woke me up overnight with her chirping. You will notice that she is feathered down her legs. This is a unique trait of the Cochin breed of chickens.
Cochins grow into large, fluffy chickens. Most of them weight 8-10lbs and look like they weigh about 20lbs with all their feathers. They are a very friendly breed and like to play mother hen, sitting on any eggs they find. The Cochin variety of bird lays approximately 3-4 eggs a week. The eggs are a creamy brown color. Cochins became world famous when a Chinese delegation gave some Cochins to Queen Victoria of England, who adored these chickens. They have been in America since around 1850 and are known to be especially friendly, although our chick is the bully of the brooding box
Our Gold Laced Polish chick – we named her Joan McHENzie since she is going to look a lot like me.
We also have a Gold Laced Polish chick. This chick will grow into a friendly, unique looking hen. She will have a fluff of feather on her head that will be gold, black and brown. Polish chicks do really well in the heat. They lay a small to medium white egg.
The two chicks we lost were a White Crested Black Polish that would have been a beautiful bird. We also lost a Silver Polish. All the chicks were inoculated against cocci but wound up getting sick and the symptoms were amazingly similar to cocci. When chicks have been inoculated against cocci they are usually fed non-medicated feed. After we lost our first two chicks I went ahead and switched to medicated feed and haven’t had a problem since. The only reason I could find for the non-medicated feed was that it was a waste of money since they had already been treated for this issue. Here are the two chicks we lost, and the names we came up with:
Our extra chick – a Silver Polish named Phyllis.
Cruella Deville, our White Crested Black Polish chicken.
We keep our chicks in the house when they are young. They hang out in the office in a breeding box that I made. They sleep for the first few days because they have been through A LOT! Chicks are shipped via express shipping to breeders and individuals in special boxes. Our breeder had at least 100 chicks in her garage. The extra travel to our house puts a bit more strain on them and they need to rest, eat and drink.
Chicks stay under a heat source that keeps the temperature in that portion of the box between 95-98 degrees. They are good about moving themselves around the box to regulate their temperature. They eat a special form of starter feed that is crumbled and easy to digest.
Getting to know the chicks.
In 1-2 weeks the chicks will start to pop out some feathers. They will begin those awkward weeks when they look like teenagers going through puberty. Frankly they are pretty ugly when they are pullets. Once they have fully feathered out and temps warm up outside, they will be introduced to the big chickens in the coop. I will let the young pullets out in the kennel portion of the coop so they are protected but not in with the big chickens. They can look at each other and get used to each other. Slowly they will be introduced to each other. We’ve never had a real problem with chickens get along since we tend to buy friendly breeds.
A lot of people ask how much chicks cost. If you already have all the gear (coop, brooding box, feeder, water, heat lamp) or can borrow it, the cost is pretty low. These unique chicks cost $18 all together. Their starter feed runs about $10. There are cleaning costs too…
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Raising Baby Quail Chicks in
Lazear, Colorado
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Lazear Colorado,
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. Lazear
Colorado also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Lazear Colorado, 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 Lazear CO.
Baby Chickens
Black in
Lazear, Colorado
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Lazear Colorado
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
Lazear Colorado * 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 Lazear
Colorado * 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 Under Heat Lamp in
Lazear, Colorado
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
Lazear Colorado 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 Lazear,
Colorado Baby chicks are very
adorable as well as
hard to stand up to,
however it's finest to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by compiling not just the
appropriate materials, but
also the correct
knowledge to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
easy, you simply have to supply them with the following: A
clean and warm and comfortable
environment Lots of food and also water Interest and
love Environment Your environment can be an easy box, fish tank,
feline carrier, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
coverings (with no loose
strings!) to begin, as well as after a
couple of weeks use straw over paper.
Note: Avoid utilizing just
paper or other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You additionally require
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
lid for food and also an animal bird water dispenser from an animal store. Likewise, as the chicks get
older you can present a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
educated on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you need to
give them with a heat resource.
This can be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb likewise function extremely well (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can take up to 2 months). The recently
hatched need a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 levels,
and every week this could
be minimized by
about 5 levels approximately. The warmth source need to be on just one side of the cage
to permit chicks a range of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
other corner of your heat
lamp, you need to
decrease the temperature level. If
they are smothering each various other under the
warmth (not just snuggling),
you should add some heat.
Housekeeping
Sanitation is vital and it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to change
the bed linen
usually and
always provide tidy
food and water Food and water.
Chicks expand extremely quick
which requires lots of clean
food and also water. Give
enough at all times and also examine
commonly to prevent thirsty as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, and it comes
in both medicated and
also non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
and afterwards to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others won't use up that activity until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
unit, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Attention and also love There are a
few benefits to spending time with your chicks. To start
with, they will most
likely bond with you and also
not flee as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
see their behavior, you can
capture disease or various
other problems previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
various other harmful
signs. Make certain to
also check out
their poop, as diarrhea can bring about matted plumes and obstructed cloaca.
Last but not least, it is important to look out
for social problems, such as the
smallest chick obtaining picked
on. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently fully feathered
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety of your home
and also move outside right into a
coop. Have a look at our
part on chicken coops to get more information
concerning cages and
proper coop environments.
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