It was a typical Tuesday morning at 1840 Farm. I was 90 minutes into a tomato soup canning session when the phone rang. When I picked it up, I could immediately hear the “cheep, cheep, cheep” in the background as a not very impressed postal employee informed me that I needed to come pick up my chicks. I could tell from the tone of his voice that he wanted me there yesterday.
So, hot water bath canner bubbling on the stove, I calmly told him, “I’ll be there in thirty minutes!” I raced to the garage to set up their new home. I wasn’t expecting for them to arrive until later this week, but luckily we had already gathered the necessary supplies. I ran back into the house, turned the heat off under the canning pot, set the timer for five minutes and watched the time tick down. There was nothing that I could do but wait and hope that they would still be “peeping” when I got there.
They were. As soon as I entered the post office, I could hear them from the back room. I waited my turn and told them that I was there for the baby chicks. They never asked my name. They didn’t ask to see any form of identification. They quickly handed over the baby chicks. They were happy to see my pick up my package and head for the door. I can tell you that I got a lot of interesting glances as I was walking out to my car. People tend to stare when you are carrying a package the size of a child’s shoe box that is peeping.
We ordered our heritage breed chicks from . They were great about offering resources for first time chicken keepers. They kept recommending not to open the box in front of children as a few of them might not have made the journey and lived to peep about it. So, I knew what I needed to do. I carefully cut the strapping tape away from three of the sides. I gently lifted the lid and tried to count the little fluff balls inside.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! They had all made it. Now to get them home and settled in. My daughter couldn’t wait to get them out of the box and into their little warm brooder. We opened the box and two hopped right out into the pine shavings. The rest of them quickly decided that living in their little shipping box forever seemed like a good idea. Finally, with a little encouragement, they gently set foot into their new space.
We watched them with bated breath. Would they drink? Would they eat? Were they warm enough? Too warm? Who knew that chicken keeping was this difficult? I carefully picked each chick up and dipped its beak into the waterer. Some happily drank water while others immediately pulled their beaks out of the water as if they were being waterboarded. Those chicks ran away from the water to the safety of the opposite corner of the brooder. They were definitely keeping an eye on me. I was not to be trusted.
That was, until I brought more food. Then I was back in their good graces as they all investigated their surroundings, had a snack, and settled in under the heat lamp for a well deserved nap. They were exhausted from their journey. I was certainly exhausted from mine.
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Baby Chicks For Easter in
Benton, Illinois
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Benton 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. Benton
Illinois also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Benton 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 Benton IL.
Baby Chicks Names in
Benton, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Benton 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
Benton 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 Benton
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 By Mail in
Benton, 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
Benton 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 Benton,
Illinois Baby chicks are extremely
charming and also
hard to stand up to,
however it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by collecting not only the
proper materials, however
likewise the proper
understanding to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
straightforward, you simply need
to supply them with the following: A
clean as well as cozy
environment A lot of food and also water Interest and also
love Environment Your environment can be a
simple box, aquarium,
feline carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without any loose
strings!) to begin, as well as after a few weeks use straw over paper.
Note: Avoid making use of just
newspaper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow
malformed. You likewise require
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar
cover for food as well as a pet dog bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Also, as the chicks get
older you could present a perch
right into the environment to obtain them
educated on perching. Warmth To
keep your chicks heat you need to
provide them with a heat source.
This can be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb additionally function effectively (my
recommendation). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which could take up to two months). The newly
hatched out need a temperature
in between 90 and 100 degrees,
and also each week this can
be lowered by
around 5 degrees approximately. The warmth source should get on simply one side of the cage
to enable chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
other corner of your warmth
light, you have to
reduce the temperature. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not merely snuggling),
you need to include some heat.
Home cleaning
Tidiness is key and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to change
the bedding
often and also
always provide tidy
food and also water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow really quickly
which needs plenty of tidy
food and also water. Provide
sufficient whatsoever times and examine
typically to
stop parched as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial 2 months, then
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for one more 2 months,
and afterwards to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks like to obtain a head start on taking
filth baths, while others will not occupy that activity till they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
enclosure, present a tray of sand or
dirt for them to wash in.
Attention as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. First off, they will more than likely bond with you as well as
not run away as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
enjoy their behavior, you can
catch disease or other issues earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
other harmful
indicators. Be sure to
likewise consider
their poop, as diarrhea can lead
to matted feathers and also clogged cloaca.
Lastly, it is very
important to look out
for social problems, such as the
smallest chick getting teased. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
as well as its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
and move outside into a cage. Look into our
part on chicken coops to get more information
about coops and
correct coop environments.
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