Baby Chickens for Sale in La Harpe, Illinois
Baby Chickens for Sale in La Harpe, Illinois
SHTF Chickens, Bock bock
We have had chickens for the last 5-6 years, and they have been enjoyable little workers for our tiny homestead. Awhile ago I was one of the Trustees for our large plot subdivision, that prohibits having chickens. My wife wanted chickens, and she ignored my dislike of the idea, and spoke with the other Trustees. She was asking for a variance to the subdivision rules, and followed their direction getting signatures from a portion of the other homeowners. Once complete, then they had other hoops for her to jump through just to get a vote to change the rules. What??? She just wanted a variance, not to change the rules, or to jump through more hoops to be told no. She asked what would happen if she just got them, and they replied they would sue (with a grin on his face, because he know there were much bigger fish to fry than a pretty girl’s chickens).
So, now we had to build a coop. The coop measured about 8 foot by 4 foot, and about 5 foot high at the top of the angled roof. The floor of the coop is layered with wood shavings and a nesting box provides access into the coop to grab the eggs. My wife built a run measuring 8 foot by 20, out of regular lumber and covered it with chicken wire. The chickens were ordered in a group of 25 baby hens, and she raised them, then found a new home for half of them, as she originally only wanted about a dozen birds.
The birds are allowed to free range throughout the day, and they find their way back into the coop as the sun is setting. We will go out in the evening to close the run and the coop, and open it all up the next morning. A couple of times, the run gets closed before they retire for the night, and we have had to hunt them down roosting in trees and behind bushes in the middle of the night. There is chicken feed to supplement the food they can find free ranging. Their egg production for the first few years was great, we would net about 8 eggs every day. We could had more if we ran a light 16 hours a day in the coop. Now that the remainder of those chickens are older, egg production has dwindled to almost none. She has a couple of new batches of hens (and a rooster, hope the neighbors aren’t too annoyed) that she has raised since May.
The chickens help the yard by scratching around looking for bugs. They are entertaining to watch how they interact with each other and handle their “pecking order”. One bit of advice though, don’t let your wife name them after her aunts, because it is difficult to tell the family that a stray dog, or another predator has killed the chicken named after them. The chickens we have are basically pets that luckily have a small production quality, rather than just being consumers. We have considered getting birds to raise for meat, but we are not ready for handling the day the culling would happen just yet, although the quality of meat would be far superior to what the grocery stores offer.
We also realized how little is known about chicken reproduction. We have been asked numerous time about why we get eggs when we (at the time) did not have a rooster. We also were surprised when someone couldn’t believe we would eat brown eggs that came out of a chicken’s butt. So I asked where the white eggs she buys at the store come from (and watched a blank stare of realization happening). The eggs are very fresh and look much richer than eggs bought from the store, and likely they are a month or two fresher.
If you have some space and the desire to raise chickens, they will be an asset to your little homestead too. Please feel free to comment with your questions or tell us about your flock.
SP
Baby Chickens Raising in La Harpe, Illinois
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in La Harpe 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. La Harpe Illinois also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in La Harpe 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 La Harpe IL.Baby Chickens Sale in La Harpe, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in La Harpe 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
La Harpe 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 La Harpe
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 Gender in La Harpe, 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 La Harpe 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 La Harpe, Illinois Baby chicks are very cute and also hard to stand up to, however it's ideal to prepare for their arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first by gathering not just the right materials, but likewise the appropriate understanding to look after them. Raising baby chicks is fairly simple, you simply need to offer them with the following: A clean and also warm and comfortable environment A lot of food as well as water Focus and love Habitat Your environment can be an easy box, aquarium, cat provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and also blankets (with no loose strings!) to begin, as well as after a few weeks make use of straw over newspaper. Note: Avoid utilizing just newspaper or various other sandal surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow misshapen. You likewise need something to dish out food and also water in, such as a chicken feeder and water dish from the feed shop, or a pickle jar lid for food as well as an animal bird water dispenser from a pet dog store. Also, as the chicks age you could introduce a perch right into the environment to obtain them trained on perching. Heat To maintain your chicks warm you need to give them with a warmth resource. This could be as easy as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile heat bulb also work extremely well (my suggestion). Chicks need this heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is changed with feathers (which can occupy to two months). The freshly hatched require a temperature in between 90 as well as 100 degrees, and each week this can be minimized by roughly 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource must get on merely one side of the cage to allow chicks an array of temperature levels. The chicks are your best thermostat- if they are concealing in the opposite corner of your warmth light, you need to reduce the temperature level. If they are surrounding each other under the warmth (not merely cuddling), you need to put some heat. Home cleaning Sanitation is crucial as well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to change the bedding commonly and constantly give tidy food and water Food and also water. Chicks expand really quickly which requires lots of clean food as well as water. Offer enough in any way times and examine typically to stop dehydrated and also starving chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, as well as it can be found in both medicated and non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the first two months, after that switch to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for another 2 months, and after that to a somewhat lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have layers). Soil Some chicks prefer to obtain a head start on taking filth baths, while others will not take up that activity until they are older. If you have the room in your chick enclosure, present a tray of sand or dirt for them to wash in. Interest and love There are a couple of benefits to hanging out with your chicks. Firstly, they will probably bond with you and not run away as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and view their behavior, you can catch illness or other problems previously. Watch out for hissing, hopping, or various other unhealthy indications. Make sure to likewise look at their poop, as looseness of the bowels can cause matted feathers and clogged cloaca. Lastly, it is necessary to watch out for social concerns, such as the tiniest chick obtaining teased. Vacant nest syndrome So your chicks are currently completely feathery and its time for them to leave the safety and security of your house and also relocate outside into a coop. Have a look at our section on chicken cages to read more regarding coops as well as appropriate coop environments.Baby Chicks Raising Baby Chickens Male Or Female
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