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!
Other posts that might be of interest:
Baby Chicks Care in
Winnebago, Illinois
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Winnebago 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. Winnebago
Illinois also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Winnebago 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 Winnebago IL.
Baby Chicks Near Me in
Winnebago, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Winnebago 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
Winnebago 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 Winnebago
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
Winnebago, 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
Winnebago 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 Winnebago,
Illinois Baby chicks are extremely
cute and
tough to withstand,
but it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially
by gathering not only the
proper materials, but
likewise the proper
expertise to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
easy, you simply have to give them with the following: A
clean as well as warm and comfortable
habitat Plenty of food and water Attention and
love Environment Your habitat can be an easy box, fish tank,
feline service provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (without loosened
strings!) to start, and also after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing only
paper or various other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You likewise need
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
dish from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
lid for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Additionally, as the chicks get
older you can introduce a perch
into the habitat to obtain them
educated on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you need to
give them with a warmth source.
This could be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb likewise work extremely well (my
suggestion). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which could occupy to 2 months). The newly
hatched require a temperature
between 90 and 100 levels,
and also every week this can
be minimized by
approximately 5 degrees or
so. The warmth resource need to be on merely one side of the cage
to enable chicks a variety of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
opposite corner of your warmth
lamp, you should
reduce the temperature level. If
they are smothering each other under the
heat (not just curling up),
you should add some warmth.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is essential and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Be sure to transform
the bed linen
commonly and also
constantly supply clean
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks grow very quickly
which requires plenty of clean
food as well as water. Give
enough whatsoever times and inspect
frequently to prevent dehydrated as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is different compared
to grown-up chicken food, as well as it comes
in both medicated and
also non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
initial 2 months, after that
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and then to a slightly
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a head start on taking
dust baths, while others will not take
up that task up until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Attention and also love There are a
few benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. To start
with, they will probably bond with you and also
not escape as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
see their behavior, you can
capture illness or other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
other harmful
indications. Make certain to
also check out
their poop, as diarrhea could result in matted plumes and blocked cloaca.
Finally, it is essential to watch out for social issues, such as the
littlest chick getting teased. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your residence
and relocate outside right into a
coop. Take a look at our
area on chicken coops to find out
more
about coops and also
correct cage habitats.
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