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 Quail Chicks in
Galveston, Indiana
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Galveston Indiana,
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. Galveston
Indiana also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Galveston Indiana, 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 Galveston IN.
Baby Chicks House in
Galveston, Indiana
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Galveston Indiana
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
Galveston Indiana * 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 Galveston
Indiana * 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 And
Ducks in
Galveston, Indiana
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
Galveston Indiana 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 Galveston,
Indiana Baby chicks are very
cute and
challenging to stand up to,
yet it's best to prepare for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare first
by collecting not only the
proper products, but
likewise the appropriate
understanding to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
straightforward, you simply have to offer them with the following: A
clean as well as cozy
environment A lot of food and water Attention as well as
love Habitat Your habitat could be a
simple box, fish tank,
cat service provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without loose
strings!) to start, as well as after a few weeks utilize straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid making use of only
paper or various other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You additionally need
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food as well as an animal bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Additionally, as the chicks get
older you could present a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks heat you have to
offer them with a warmth resource.
This could be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb additionally work very
well (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which can occupy to 2 months). The freshly
hatched out need a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and every week this can
be reduced by
about 5 levels or
so. The warmth resource should get on simply one side of the cage
to enable chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
other corner of your heat
light, you need to
decrease the temperature. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
heat (not simply cuddling),
you have to add some heat.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is crucial as
well as it keeps your chicks healthy. Make sure to change
the bed linen
commonly and
constantly offer clean
food and water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow really fast
which needs plenty of tidy
food and also water. Give
sufficient in any way times as well
as check
typically to prevent parched as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared
to grown-up chicken food, as well as it comes
in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, then
switch to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
then to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks like to get a head start on taking
dust baths, while others won't occupy that task up until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to shower in.
Interest as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending time with your chicks. To start
with, they will certainly probably bond with you and also
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
see their habits, you could
catch illness or other issues previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
various other unhealthy
indicators. Make sure to
also consider
their poop, as diarrhea can lead
to matted plumes and also blocked cloaca.
Last but not least, it is very
important to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
smallest chick obtaining teased. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now fully feathered
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
and relocate outside right into a cage. Check out our
section on chicken cages to find out
more
concerning coops as well as
correct coop habitats.
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