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 Online in
Palestine, Illinois
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Palestine 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. Palestine
Illinois also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Palestine 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 Palestine IL.
Baby Chicks And Ducks For Sale in
Palestine, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Palestine 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
Palestine 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 Palestine
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 Breeds in
Palestine, 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
Palestine 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 Palestine,
Illinois Baby chicks are really
cute and
difficult to resist,
yet it's best to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by compiling not only the
proper materials, however
additionally the correct
knowledge to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
straightforward, you merely should provide them with the following: A tidy and also warm and comfortable
environment Plenty of food and water Focus and also
love Environment Your habitat could be a basic box, aquarium,
cat carrier, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and also
blankets (with no loose
strings!) to start, and also after a few weeks use straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of just
newspaper or various other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can grow
misshapen. You also need
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
cover for food as well as a pet dog bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks get
older you can present a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks heat you have to
supply them with a heat source.
This can be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb additionally work effectively (my
suggestion). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which could use
up to two months). The newly
hatched out need a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 levels,
as well as every week this could
be reduced by
approximately 5 degrees or
so. The heat source need to be on just one side of the cage
to enable chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
opposite edge of your warmth
lamp, you should
lower the temperature level. If
they are smothering each various other under the
warmth (not just snuggling),
you should add some heat.
House cleaning
Tidiness is vital as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to change
the bedding
commonly and also
consistently provide clean
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks grow really quickly
which calls for plenty of clean
food and also water. Provide
sufficient in any way times and inspect
frequently to
stop thirsty and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, and it is available in both medicated and
also non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
change to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for an additional 2 months,
and after that to a slightly
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks want
to get a running start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others won't use up that task up until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to bathe in.
Interest as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly probably bond with you and
not flee as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
watch their behavior, you can
catch illness or various
other problems previously. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
various other undesirable
indications. Make certain to
likewise consider
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could cause matted plumes as well
as obstructed cloaca.
Finally, it is very
important to watch out for social problems, such as the
littlest chick obtaining picked
on. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now fully feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your house
and also relocate outside right into a
coop. Take a look at our
area on chicken coops to find out
more
about cages and also
correct cage habitats.
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