At exactly 21 days, we made the trip up to Monroe to pick out some new baby chicks that Midnight would hopefully raise as her own. Monroe Farm and Feed had an incredible selection of chicks; some pullets, some straight-run. Some of them were very young, some of them were starting to develop their combs already! I would have gladly taken one of each but settled for four; two araucanas, one welsummer and one cuckoo maran. These were all pullets at the baby stage — it seemed that Midnight would be most likely to adopt babies, and I like a little peace of mind that there’s more than a 50% chance they’ll be hens. My mother-in-law, Trudy, was with me for the excursion. When I mentioned my grand surrogate plan earlier in their visit, her eyes lit up since she was going to be here to see it all go down.Early Saturday afternoon, we were on our way home with four tiny chicks peeping away in a box in the back seat of the car. I was so excited!
, a photo by on Flickr.
Too excited, maybe. When we got home, I went ahead and tucked them in with Midnight. That didn’t go so well. Midnight pecked at the little maran and seemed agitated, so we moved the babies to the other end of the coop, making sure they couldn’t get out, and others couldn’t get in. Naturally we couldn’t help but peek in on them throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening.
, a photo by on Flickr.
As it started to get dark, I decided it was time to try it again. We barricaded Midnight into the nesting box, and placed the peeps under/around her. She didn’t immediately reject them, so we sat outside for a while so that we could hear any troubling squawks and squeals. Everything sounded good so we checked on them one last time for the night and headed inside.
, a photo by on Flickr.
The next morning, I headed right outside to see what was going on. Mama and babies were all together and everyone made it through the night. Whew! Hooray! I rather-obsessively checked on them throughout the day, and we removed the barricade and took measures to make sure that no one would fall through the trap door.
, a photo by on Flickr.
It’s now Tuesday and the five of them are one happy little family. This little project has caused some upset for the other birds. The red birds (Ginger and Penney) and the two old birds (Jazzy and Yogi) don’t get along, so sharing a coop is out of the question. G+P have their coop to themselves, and J+Y are sleeping in a cardboard in the ‘downstairs’ area of their coop. For now, this will have to work. I am thinking that I will move Midnight and her brood to the other coop and give them half of the upstairs, and the red birds the other half. I just want to make sure that she’s not going to abandon her flock and I would think that a week is long enough for them to form that bond.
, a photo by on Flickr.
Baby Quail Chicks in
Lyons, Colorado
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Lyons 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. Lyons
Colorado also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Lyons 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 Lyons CO.
Baby Chickens Raising in
Lyons, Colorado
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Lyons 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
Lyons 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 Lyons
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 In
The Mail in
Lyons, 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
Lyons 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 Lyons,
Colorado Baby chicks are very
charming and also
hard to resist,
but it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare initially
by gathering not just the
appropriate materials, however
also the correct
understanding to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
basic, you just have to offer them with the following: A
clean and warm and comfortable
habitat Lots of food and water Attention and
love Environment Your environment can be a
simple box, aquarium,
feline carrier, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
coverings (without loosened
strings!) to start, and also after a
couple of weeks use straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using just
paper or other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could expand
misshapen. You also require
something to serve up food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
meal from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food and a pet bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Also, as the chicks get
older you can present a perch
into the environment to obtain them
educated on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
give them with a heat source.
This could be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb also function effectively (my
recommendation). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can use
up to two months). The recently
hatched require a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and each week this could
be reduced by
approximately 5 degrees approximately. The heat source must get on merely one side of the cage
to allow chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
other corner of your heat
lamp, you need to
reduce the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each other under the
warmth (not just cuddling),
you should add some heat.
Home cleaning
Tidiness is vital and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Make certain to transform
the bed linens
typically as well as
always supply tidy
food and also water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow extremely quick
which calls for lots of tidy
food as well as water. Offer
sufficient at all times as well
as examine
usually to
stop dehydrated and
starving chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, as well as it comes
in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
very first two months, then
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
and afterwards to a somewhat
lower protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks like to get a running start on taking
dirt baths, while others won't occupy that task until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to wash in.
Focus as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending time with your chicks. First off, they will probably bond with you and also
not run away as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
see their actions, you can
capture ailment or various
other troubles earlier. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or
various other harmful
indications. Make sure to
likewise look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could result in matted feathers and also blocked cloaca.
Last but not least, it is essential to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
smallest chick getting teased. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now totally feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your house
and relocate outside into a cage. Check out our
part on chicken cages for more information
regarding cages and
proper cage environments.
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