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 Mail Order in
Kansas, Illinois
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Kansas 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. Kansas
Illinois also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Kansas 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 Kansas IL.
Baby Chickens And Heat Lamps in
Kansas, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Kansas 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
Kansas 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 Kansas
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 In A Box in
Kansas, 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
Kansas 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 Kansas,
Illinois Baby chicks are extremely
adorable and also
hard to resist,
but it's best to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare initially
by collecting not just the
appropriate materials, yet
additionally the correct
expertise to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
simple, you just have to provide them with the following: A tidy and also warm and comfortable
habitat A lot of food and water Interest as well as
love Environment Your habitat can be a basic box, fish tank,
pet cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (with no loosened
strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid making use of just
paper or various other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You likewise need
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food and also an animal bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on perching. Warmth To
keep your chicks warm you have to
give them with a warmth source.
This can be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb also function very
well (my
referral). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which could use
up to two months). The freshly
hatched require a temperature
between 90 and 100 degrees,
and also weekly this can
be minimized by
about 5 levels approximately. The warmth resource ought
to be on simply one side of the cage
to permit chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
contrary edge of your heat
lamp, you need to
decrease the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not merely snuggling),
you should add some heat.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is key and also it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to transform
the bed linen
often as well as
constantly give tidy
food as well as water Food and water.
Chicks grow really quick
which requires a lot of tidy
food and also water. Provide
sufficient in any way times and inspect
frequently to
stop thirsty and
starving chicks. Chick food is different compared
to adult chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, then
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
then to a slightly
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others will not use up that activity till they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to bathe in.
Interest and love There are a couple of advantages to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will most
likely bond with you and
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
see their actions, you could
capture health problem or various
other troubles earlier. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
other undesirable
signs. Make certain to
additionally check out
their poop, as diarrhea could cause matted plumes and also clogged up cloaca.
Finally, it is very
important to keep an eye out for social concerns, such as the
littlest chick getting picked
on. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are now fully feathered
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your residence
and also relocate outside right into a
coop. Take a look at our
part on chicken cages for more information
about cages as well as
proper coop habitats.
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