Two weeks ago we tried out a family dog. Scott has always wanted a dog so when the local animal shelter called us and said they had a great family dog, we gave it a try. He was a great dog in every way, half golden retriever and half lab, already house trained, great on a leash, however he really wanted to eat our chickens and cats. No really, he really did want to eat them. We saved the cats from near misses twice, however we weren’t so lucky with the hens. One lovely Sunday morning we were all outside enjoying the fine weather when all of a sudden one of our chickens, Sally jumped over her highly fenced ‘free range’ area and into the backyard….right in front of the dog. He quickly grabbed her and ran, feathers flew everywhere. We were screaming, the chicken was screaming and the dog was running all over the yard with her. We finally got him away from her, but when we found her, we feared for the worst. All the feathers were pulled off her back and there were about five deep, two inch long gashes where his teeth had been.
I guess had we been real chicken farmers we would have put her down right then and there, but instead we thought we’d give her the night to see if Sally could make it. After our adrenaline had calmed down we picked her up and put Neosporin on her cuts, something a vet had advised us to do for another chicken cut a few years back. Then we put her in a small bathroom that rarely ever gets used, gave the poor girl some food and water and a box full of hay and let her have the night to heal. And she made it! We left her in there for about four nights and the sweet thing even laid a couple of eggs. Slowly we started bringing her outside, watching her carefully to keep the flies off of her (because if flies get wind of a fresh chicken cut they will lay there eggs there and the – super gross!). We eventually put her with the other chickens and made sure they didn’t peck at her and now she is fully back with her gals. We call her Sally the Miracle Chicken now. We did decide after some soul searching that right now our priority is with our first pets, the cats and hens, so the dog went back (and he’s already found a good new home!).
As consolation for our two young sons, we got some new baby chicks. Aren’t they cute? A and two to add some blue into our brown egg mix.
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Raising Baby Quail Chicks in
Andover, Illinois
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Andover Illinois,
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. Andover
Illinois also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Andover Illinois, 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 Andover IL.
Baby Chickens For Sale Free Shipping in
Andover, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Andover Illinois
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
Andover Illinois * 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 Andover
Illinois * 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 Chicks Home in
Andover, Illinois
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
Andover Illinois 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 Andover,
Illinois Baby chicks are really
adorable and
hard to stand up to,
but it's finest to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by gathering not only the
right materials, but
additionally the appropriate
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
basic, you merely should provide them with the following: A tidy as well as cozy
environment Plenty of food and water Focus as well as
love Environment Your environment can be a straightforward box, aquarium,
cat provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (with no loose
strings!) to start, and also after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of just
paper or other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You also require
something to dish out food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
cover for food as well as an animal bird water dispenser from a
pet dog store. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch
right into the habitat to get them
educated on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks heat you have to
offer them with a heat resource.
This can be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb also function very
well (my
referral). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which could use
up to two months). The freshly
hatched out require a temperature level
in between 90 and 100 degrees,
and every week this could
be decreased by
about 5 levels or
so. The warmth resource should get on just one side of the cage
to enable chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
other corner of your heat
light, you have to
lower the temperature. If
they are smothering each various other under the
warmth (not simply cuddling),
you need to add some heat.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is crucial as
well as it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to change
the bedding
typically as well as
always give clean
food as well as water Food and water.
Chicks grow really quick
which calls for plenty of clean
food and also water. Give
sufficient at all times and also check
typically to
stop thirsty and also
starving chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, and also it comes
in both medicated and
also non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, after that
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
then to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks like to get a head start on taking
dust baths, while others will not use up that activity until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
unit, present a tray of sand or
dirt for them to bathe in.
Interest and also love There are a
few benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. First of all, they will more than likely bond with you and also
not flee as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
enjoy their behavior, you can
catch health problem or various
other troubles previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
other undesirable
indications. Be sure to
also look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could lead
to matted feathers as well
as obstructed cloaca.
Finally, it is very
important to watch out for social concerns, such as the
littlest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are now completely feathery
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
and move outside right into a cage. Take a look at our
part on chicken cages for more information
regarding cages and
correct cage habitats.
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