Baby Chickens for Sale in Barstow, Illinois
Baby Chickens for Sale in Barstow, Illinois
Why You Should Not Keep Backyard Chickens
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I would recommend backyard chickens to almost anyone. Keeping chickens this past year has been a fun and educational experience for my whole family. We have brought our chickens to the local elementary school for their harvest fair and had our daughters pre-school class come to visit. Lots of friends have come over to see our set-up, and now two of them have chicks of their own.
However, I don’t think backyard chickens are for everyone. Just like I don’t think dogs or cats are for everyone. Many people get animals thinking they are cute or fun or whatever and then realize that they are a lot of work. That is how so many animals end up abandoned or in shelters. So now I’m going to share the “down-side” of keeping chickens just to make sure that everyone knows what they are getting themselves into. Obviously these weren’t big enough cons to keep me from having chickens, but to some people they might be. I prefer that people know what they are getting themselves into rather than abandon or mistreat an animal.
- The cute fluffy chicks that arrive need an extreme amount of care and knowledge to keep them healthy. You need to keep them warm (but not too warm), you need to feed them special food, make sure their butts don’t paste up with droppings (fatal), make sure they don’t drown in their water dish, etc. etc. etc.
- Chicks are cute and fluffy for about 2 weeks. They start getting their feathers in in about a week and turn into very awkward looking teenagers. It’s amazing how quickly they look like chickens and not babies.
- Chickens are very social animals, so they need friends. In other words, you can’t just get one chicken or it will be depressed and lonely.
- Chickens don’t like being confined in a small space. They can get bored, which leads to gruesome acts such as feather picking (Where they pull feathers out of their companions). Ouch. Once they see blood, they pick even more, which can actually lead to cannibalism.
- Chickens need special diets for different stages of their lives. If they don’t get the proper, balanced nutrition they might have problems with feathers breaking off, or eggs coming out with soft shells (or no shells!)
- Chickens like to scratch and peck. If you let them out in your yard they will turn a small bare spot into a big, bare spot. They like to dig into the dirt and take dust baths.
- Chickens like to eat greens. That means not only grass, but also the lettuce you planted, the unripe blueberries you are waiting to eat, the ferns you just planted. You get the picture. They are like small goats. Almost anything is considered food.
- You need to check on your chickens every day. In the summer you need to make sure they have plenty of water and that they aren’t overheating. In the winter you need to make sure their water hasn’t frozen. In the rain you still need to check on them.
- Chickens like to eat chicken eggs also. If you don’t gather your eggs every day, the chicken might accidentally break one. As I mentioned above, chickens like to eat just about everything, so they will try the broken egg. That is the point where they decide they love the taste. You now have an egg-eater, who will deliberately break eggs to eat. When you go on vacation, you will need to find someone to gather eggs every day to prevent this from happening.
- Bird droppings smell. You will have to clean out the coop regularly to keep the ammonia from building up. Ammonia is bad for the birds to breathe and it is bad for us to smell. Droppings will attract flies and will repel your friends. Chickens can’t control their bowels like cats and dogs, so you could get hit at any time.
- Chickens are prone to getting parasites. Whether you introduce a new bird that has lice, or wild birds with mites fly into your yard, you will inevitably have to battle external parasites. I am in the middle of this battle and it is no fun! You have to scrub down the coop, spray or dust in every crevice and spray or dust your birds. I will make a post soon about this episode of our chickens lives. Parasites can kill your bird, so you have to deal with them. I just put my girls in a warm bath and cleaned the caked-on poop off their butt feathers yesterday. Make sure you are willing to do this! In case I’m not conveying how gross this is, you can see egg clusters around the base of feathers, scabs on your chickens butts and poop from the mites stuck in their feathers.
- Chickens lay eggs reliably for about 2-3 years. Chickens can live for about 10 years. What are you going to do with an old chicken that doesn’t lay anymore?
- Chickens are pretty delicate animals and can get sick. There are not many vets who take chickens. Are you willing/able to diagnose what’s wrong with your chicken? Will you be able to massage an egg out of your hen if it is stuck? Would you feed your chicken with an eye dropper if it stopped eating? Would you be able to humanely kill your chicken if it got mauled by a predator? Again, most vets won’t take chickens, even to put them down.
- Chickens need a safe and secure henhouse. You need to be able to keep your hens warm in the winter, cool in the summer. Animals such as raccoons, hawks, opossums, foxes and dogs should not be able to get into their run or coop.
- Chicken feed can attract rodents. I don’t think I need to elaborate on that one.
Have I lost you yet? Why would anyone be crazy enough to keep a chicken?? I think if you weighed many things in life you would find many cons to counter the pros. I can think of about 9,999 reasons not to have a baby, but I wouldn’t trade my kid for the world.
I love keeping chickens and to me they are more than worth any work they give me. Please make sure the same is true with you before you order some cute, fluffy chicks.
Baby Chickens And Ducks in Barstow, Illinois
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Barstow 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. Barstow Illinois also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Barstow 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 Barstow IL.Baby Chickens Bedding in Barstow, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Barstow 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
Barstow 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 Barstow
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 Food in Barstow, 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 Barstow 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 Barstow, Illinois Baby chicks are extremely charming and difficult to withstand, yet it's ideal to plan for their arrival prior to you get them. Prepare first by gathering not just the right materials, yet also the proper knowledge to care for them. Raising baby chicks is relatively basic, you simply have to offer them with the following: A clean and warm and comfortable environment A lot of food and water Focus and also love Environment Your habitat could be a straightforward box, fish tank, pet cat provider, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels and also blankets (with no loose strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks use straw over paper. Note: Avoid using only paper or other sandal surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow misshapen. You also require something to provide food and also water in, such as a chicken feeder and water meal from the feed shop, or a pickle jar lid for food and also an animal bird water dispenser from a pet store. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you can introduce a perch into the habitat to obtain them trained on setting down. Heat To keep your chicks heat you have to supply them with a heat source. This can be as basic as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb additionally work effectively (my referral). Chicks require this warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is replaced with plumes (which could take up to 2 months). The freshly hatched out require a temperature in between 90 and also 100 degrees, as well as each week this can be minimized by approximately 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource need to be on just one side of the cage to enable chicks an array of temperature levels. The chicks are your finest thermometer- if they are concealing in the other corner of your heat light, you have to reduce the temperature. If they are surrounding each other under the heat (not simply snuggling), you have to include some heat. Home cleaning Sanitation is key and also it maintains your chicks healthy and balanced. Be sure to transform the bedding usually as well as consistently provide tidy food and also water Food as well as water. Chicks expand quite quick which calls for lots of clean food as well as water. Give sufficient in any way times as well as inspect often to prevent parched as well as starving chicks. Chick food is various compared to adult chicken food, as well as it comes in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the first 2 months, then change to a raiser food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for an additional 2 months, then to a slightly reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks like to get a head start on taking filth baths, while others won't occupy that activity until they are older. If you have the area in your chick unit, introduce a tray of sand or dirt for them to wash in. Interest and also love There are a couple of advantages to hanging out with your chicks. Firstly, they will probably bond with you and also not flee as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and see their behavior, you can capture ailment or other problems previously. Keep an eye out for hissing, limping, or other harmful signs. Make sure to additionally check out their poop, as looseness of the bowels can cause matted feathers and clogged cloaca. Last but not least, it is essential to watch out for social problems, such as the littlest chick obtaining teased. Vacant nest disorder So your chicks are now totally feathered and its time for them to leave the safety of your home and relocate outside right into a coop. Check out our part on chicken coops for more information regarding cages and appropriate cage habitats.Baby Chicks Types Raising Baby Chickens
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