Baby Chickens for Sale in East Saint Louis, Illinois
Baby Chickens for Sale in East Saint Louis, Illinois
Things I Didn’t Know a Year Ago: Chicken Edition
In a few weeks, 26 chicks will invade our house. I have never personally raised chickens before and I’m getting a little nervous. Today I thought I would spout out some random chicken facts so that I feel prepared for the invasion. Um, right.
So, here are some things about chickens that I didn’t know a year ago.
- Bantam: a mini chicken. Usually a breed of chicken has a full sized and a bantam size.
- Wattle: the little red flap of skin that hangs under a chicken’s chin. (I always think of Allie McBeal. Does anyone else remember the guy on that show who had a wattle obsession?)
- Girl chickens (hens) do not require a boy chicken (rooster) to lay eggs. They can lay without him around – the eggs just aren’t fertile and can’t turn into baby chicks.
- People at the feed store look at you funny if you refer to hens and roosters as girl and boy chickens.
- Some birds are better at laying eggs so they are referred to as egg layers. Others taste better so they are called meat birds. Some do both jobs pretty well and are given the title dual purpose. And yet others just stand around looking pretty so they are called exhibition or show birds.
- Heritage chickens are breeds of chickens that are older and usually haven’t been specifically bred to increase egg laying or meat production. Often they are considered dual purpose.
- Meat birds have different labels depending on when they are butchered. Broilers or fryers are usually butchered younger (the age depends on the breed) and typically weigh less than 3.5 pounds. Roasters are 4 or 5 pounds while stewing chickens are the oldest and weigh the most. They are usually laying hens who are done laying. They need to be cooked for a long time to soften up their tough meat.
- An old biddy is an affectionate name for an old laying hen. It is NOT a good nickname for your wife. It CAN be used when talking about crabby women – as long as you are a woman yourself and the person you’re talking about isn’t around.
- The term “sexed” does not mean what you might think. (And I’m not telling you what I thought it meant.) It means getting the gender of chicken that you want when you order from a hatchery (typically females if you want laying hens).
- Ordering chicks “straight run” means getting both males and females. You can usually do this with meat birds because you will butcher them before the hens start laying eggs or the rooster get too, well, rooster-y.
So now that I’ve proven my abilities for listing random chicken facts, I feel much better about my poultry-raising skills.
Um, right.
Thanks to my dad for the chicken pictures and for fielding all my chicken-related questions!
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Baby Chicks To Buy in East Saint Louis, Illinois
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in East Saint Louis 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. East Saint Louis Illinois also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in East Saint Louis 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 East Saint Louis IL.Baby Chicks Male in East Saint Louis, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in East Saint Louis 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
East Saint Louis 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 East Saint Louis
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 House in East Saint Louis, 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 East Saint Louis 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 East Saint Louis, Illinois Baby chicks are extremely cute and challenging to resist, however it's finest to plan for their arrival before you get them. Prepare initially by compiling not only the proper products, yet likewise the correct expertise to look after them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably easy, you just have to provide them with the following: A tidy and warm environment Plenty of food and also water Focus and love Habitat Your environment can be a straightforward box, aquarium, feline provider, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels and blankets (without any loosened strings!) to begin, and after a couple of weeks use straw over newspaper. Note: Avoid utilizing only newspaper or other sandal surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand malformed. You additionally require something to serve up food and water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water dish from the feed shop, or a pickle jar lid for food and a family pet bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks get older you can introduce a perch into the habitat to obtain them trained on perching. Warmth To keep your chicks heat you have to give them with a heat source. This can be as simple as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth bulb additionally function effectively (my referral). Chicks require this warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is changed with plumes (which could take up to 2 months). The freshly hatched require a temperature between 90 and 100 levels, and also each week this could be lowered by around 5 levels or so. The heat resource need to be on just one side of the cage to allow chicks a variety of temperatures. The chicks are your ideal thermostat- if they are hiding in the contrary corner of your warmth lamp, you have to minimize the temperature level. If they are surrounding each other under the warmth (not merely cuddling), you need to add some heat. House cleaning Tidiness is essential as well as it maintains your chicks healthy and balanced. Make certain to alter the bed linens often and consistently provide clean food and also water Food and water. Chicks expand extremely fast which requires a lot of tidy food as well as water. Provide sufficient whatsoever times and check often to avoid dehydrated and also starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and it is available in both medicated and also non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the very first 2 months, then switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 % protein) for an additional 2 months, and after that to a somewhat lower healthy protein feed or a level feed (if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks want to obtain a running start on taking dirt bathrooms, while others will not take up that activity until they are older. If you have the space in your chick room, present a tray of sand or dust for them to bathe in. Focus as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. To start with, they will probably bond with you and also not run away as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and watch their behavior, you could capture illness or various other problems earlier. Watch out for hissing, limping, or other harmful indications. Make certain to additionally look at their poop, as looseness of the bowels could bring about matted feathers and also clogged cloaca. Finally, it is essential to watch out for social concerns, such as the smallest chick getting badgered. Vacant nest syndrome So your chicks are currently totally feathery and also its time for them to leave the safety and security of your house and relocate outside into a cage. Check out our section on chicken coops to get more information concerning cages and also appropriate cage habitats.Baby Chicks Care Baby Chickens For Sale
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