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 Eggs For Sale in
Long Key, Florida
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Long Key Florida,
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. Long Key
Florida also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Long Key Florida, 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 Long Key FL.
Baby Chickens Habitat in
Long Key, Florida
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Long Key Florida
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
Long Key Florida * 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 Long Key
Florida * 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 How To Care in
Long Key, Florida
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
Long Key Florida 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 Long Key,
Florida Baby chicks are quite
cute and
challenging to resist,
yet it's best to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by collecting not just the
proper products, yet
additionally the appropriate
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
basic, you just should give them with the following: A tidy and cozy
environment A lot of food and also water Interest and also
love Habitat Your habitat can be an easy box, fish tank,
feline provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (without loosened
strings!) to begin, and also after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using just
paper or other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
malformed. You additionally need
something to serve up food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle jar
lid for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Additionally, as the chicks age you can present a perch
right into the environment to get them
educated on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you need to
provide them with a heat resource.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb likewise function very
well (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can occupy to two months). The freshly
hatched need a temperature level
in between 90 as well as 100 levels,
and every week this can
be reduced by
around 5 degrees or
so. The heat source ought
to be on merely one side of the cage
to enable chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
other corner of your warmth
light, you need to
minimize the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
warmth (not simply snuggling),
you need to add some heat.
House cleaning
Tidiness is essential and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Make certain to change
the bed linens
often as well as
consistently supply clean
food as well as water Food and water.
Chicks expand extremely quickly
which calls for lots of clean
food as well as water. Give
enough in any way times as well
as examine
usually to avoid dehydrated and also
starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, after that
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and then to a slightly
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking
filth bathrooms, while others will not occupy that task until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Focus as well as love There are a couple of benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. Firstly, they will most
likely bond with you as well as
not flee as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and also
watch their habits, you can
catch illness or various
other problems previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
various other unhealthy
signs. Make sure to
likewise check out
their poop, as diarrhea can result in matted plumes and also blocked cloaca.
Lastly, it is important to look out
for social problems, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining picked
on. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are now completely feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your house
and also relocate outside into a
coop. Take a look at our
area on chicken cages to get more information
concerning cages as well as
appropriate cage habitats.
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