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 For Sale in
Midland, Georgia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Midland Georgia,
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. Midland
Georgia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Midland Georgia, 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 Midland GA.
Baby Chickens 101 in
Midland, Georgia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Midland Georgia
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
Midland Georgia * 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 Midland
Georgia * 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 Sale in
Midland, Georgia
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
Midland Georgia 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 Midland,
Georgia Baby chicks are extremely
adorable as well as
hard to resist,
however it's finest to prepare for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by compiling not only the
correct products, yet
likewise the correct
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
straightforward, you simply need
to offer them with the following: A
clean and warm
environment A lot of food and water Interest and
love Environment Your environment could be an easy box, aquarium,
pet cat carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
blankets (without loose
strings!) to begin, as well as after a few weeks utilize straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of just
paper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
malformed. You additionally need
something to dish out food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
cover for food as well as a pet dog bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Additionally, as the chicks get
older you could present a perch
into the habitat to obtain them
trained on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you have to
supply them with a heat source.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb likewise work extremely well (my
suggestion). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which could use
up to 2 months). The freshly
hatched need a temperature
between 90 and also 100 levels,
and also weekly this could
be minimized by
around 5 degrees approximately. The warmth resource should be on simply one side of the cage
to allow chicks a variety of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
contrary edge of your heat
light, you have to
decrease the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
heat (not simply cuddling),
you have to put some warmth.
Home cleaning
Cleanliness is key and it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to transform
the bedding
typically and
constantly offer clean
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks expand quite quickly
which calls for lots of tidy
food as well as water. Supply
enough whatsoever times and also inspect
usually to
stop thirsty and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is different compared
to adult chicken food, as well as it is available in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for one more 2 months,
then to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks like to get a head start on taking
dust baths, while others will not occupy that activity till they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
enclosure, present a tray of sand or
dirt for them to shower in.
Attention and love There are a
few benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. First off, they will certainly more than likely bond with you as well as
not escape as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
view their habits, you could
catch health problem or various
other troubles earlier. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
various other harmful
signs. Make certain to
also consider
their poop, as diarrhea can result in matted feathers and clogged cloaca.
Last but not least, it is very
important to watch out for social concerns, such as the
tiniest 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 home
and also move outside into a cage. Look into our
section on chicken coops to read more
regarding coops and also
appropriate cage habitats.
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