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 Order in
Wapella, Illinois
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Wapella 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. Wapella
Illinois also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Wapella 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 Wapella IL.
Baby Chickens 101 in
Wapella, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Wapella 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
Wapella 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 Wapella
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 And Ducks For Sale in
Wapella, 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
Wapella 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 Wapella,
Illinois Baby chicks are quite
charming and
tough to stand up to,
however it's best to prepare for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
right products, but
likewise the correct
knowledge to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
basic, you merely have to supply them with the following: A
clean and also warm
environment A lot of food and water Attention and
love Habitat Your environment can be a basic box, fish tank,
cat provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (without any loose
strings!) to begin, as well as after a
couple of weeks utilize straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using only
newspaper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
malformed. You also need
something to serve up food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle container
lid for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Also, as the chicks grow older you can introduce a perch
right into the environment to obtain them
trained on setting down. Warmth To
keep your chicks warm you have to
offer them with a heat resource.
This could be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb additionally function effectively (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can occupy to two months). The freshly
hatched out require a temperature level
in between 90 and 100 levels,
and also each week this can
be minimized by
roughly 5 levels approximately. The heat resource need to get on simply one side of the cage
to enable chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
contrary edge of your heat
lamp, you need to
reduce the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
heat (not merely curling up),
you need to include some warmth.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is key as
well as it keeps your chicks healthy. Be sure to change
the bed linens
commonly as well as
consistently give clean
food and water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand extremely quickly
which calls for plenty of tidy
food as well as water. Offer
enough in any way times as well
as examine
frequently to
stop parched and
starving chicks. Chick food is various compared
to grown-up chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, after that
change to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and after that to a slightly
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks want
to obtain a head start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't take
up that task until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Interest and love There are a
few advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. First off, they will more than likely bond with you as well as
not run away as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
watch their behavior, you could
capture ailment or other issues earlier. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, limping, or
other harmful
indications. Make sure to
likewise consider
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could lead
to matted feathers and also stopped up cloaca.
Lastly, it is necessary to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now completely feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
and also relocate outside right into a cage. Have a look at our
part on chicken coops to learn more
regarding cages and also
appropriate cage environments.
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