Baby Chickens for Sale in Lee, Illinois
Baby Chickens for Sale in Lee, 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 Raising in Lee, Illinois
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Lee 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. Lee Illinois also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Lee 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 Lee IL.Baby Chicks Information in Lee, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Lee 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
Lee 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 Lee
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 Chickens 101 in Lee, 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 Lee 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 Lee, Illinois Baby chicks are very adorable and also challenging to withstand, yet it's best to prepare for their arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially by compiling not only the proper products, yet also the proper understanding to care for them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably straightforward, you just have to offer them with the following: A tidy as well as cozy environment A lot of food and also water Attention as well as love Habitat Your habitat could be a simple box, fish tank, pet cat provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and also blankets (with no loosened strings!) to start, and also after a couple of weeks use straw over paper. Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing only paper or other sandal surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow malformed. You additionally need something to dish out food and also water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar cover for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Likewise, as the chicks age you could introduce a perch right into the environment to obtain them educated on perching. Warmth To keep your chicks heat you have to give them with a heat resource. This can be as basic as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth bulb likewise work extremely well (my recommendation). Chicks require this warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is changed with feathers (which can occupy to 2 months). The recently hatched out need a temperature level between 90 and 100 degrees, and also each week this could be lowered by approximately 5 degrees or so. The heat source need to get on simply one side of the cage to allow chicks a variety of temperatures. The chicks are your best thermometer- if they are concealing in the opposite corner of your heat light, you need to decrease the temperature level. If they are surrounding each various other under the warmth (not just curling up), you should put some warmth. House cleaning Sanitation is key and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to alter the bed linens commonly and always supply clean food as well as water Food and water. Chicks grow really quickly which requires plenty of clean food and water. Provide sufficient whatsoever times and also inspect typically to stop dehydrated and starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, as well as it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the first 2 months, then switch to a raiser food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for one more 2 months, and after that to a slightly lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks want to get a running start on taking dirt bathrooms, while others won't occupy that task up until they are older. If you have the area in your chick unit, present a tray of sand or filth for them to wash in. Focus and love There are a couple of benefits to hanging out with your chicks. To start with, they will certainly most likely bond with you as well as not flee as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and also see their behavior, you could capture health problem or various other troubles previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or various other harmful indicators. Make sure to also check out their poop, as diarrhea could cause matted feathers as well as clogged up cloaca. Lastly, it is essential to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the tiniest chick getting picked on. Empty nest disorder So your chicks are now totally feathered and also its time for them to leave the safety of your residence and move outside into a coop. Look into our area on chicken coops to learn more concerning coops as well as proper cage habitats.Baby Chickens Buy Baby Chicks Care
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