Our Surrogate Silkie Hen Will Finally Have Chicks!
Just a quick note from our homestead! With all the excitement over eggs this time of year, I thought, “why not share the news!?”
We have a little silkie hen we adoringly call Doe-Doe. She is hilariously entertaining and stubbornly broody. She has earned her keep more than any animal on our farm, though! Last year she brooded and hatched out 3 clutches of guinea eggs in a row. People can’t buy the keets fast enough!
We don’t keep a rooster, (only a guinea rooster) but a dear friend of mine gave me six fertilized eggs. The news I’m so excited about is that they are due — TUESDAY! I’m loving the thought of Doe-Doe finally being able to have “her” babies that she brooded so faithfully, staying with her and watching her mother and care for them!
Please watch for a post! Have you ever seen anything CUTER than a baby chick? (OK, cuter than SIX baby chicks with their “dodo bird” momma?)
Do you have any news this Spring from your home you want to share with us?! We’d love to hear from you!
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Baby Quail Chicks in
Portage, Indiana
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Portage 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. Portage
Indiana also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Portage 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 Portage IN.
Baby Chicks
Hatchery in
Portage, Indiana
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Portage 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
Portage 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 Portage
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 Chicks
Outside With Heat Lamp in
Portage, 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
Portage 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 Portage,
Indiana Baby chicks are quite
adorable and
tough to resist,
yet it's finest to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first
by collecting not only the
proper materials, yet
likewise the appropriate
understanding to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
easy, you merely should give them with the following: A tidy and also warm and comfortable
environment Lots of food as well
as water Interest as well as
love Habitat Your environment can be a
simple box, fish tank,
feline provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (with no loose
strings!) to start, and after a
couple of weeks use straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid utilizing just
paper or various other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You also require
something to provide food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
dish from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
cover for food and also a family
pet bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Likewise, as the chicks get
older you can introduce a perch
right into the environment to obtain them
educated on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you need to
provide them with a heat resource.
This can be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb likewise function effectively (my
recommendation). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can take up to two months). The newly
hatched out need a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 levels,
as well as each week this can
be reduced by
about 5 degrees or
so. The heat resource ought
to get on just one side of the cage
to permit chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
contrary corner of your warmth
light, you have to
decrease the temperature. If
they are smothering each various other under the
heat (not just snuggling),
you have to add some heat.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is essential and it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Be sure to transform
the bedding
frequently as well as
always supply tidy
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks grow quite fast
which calls for plenty of tidy
food and water. Offer
enough at all times and check
frequently to prevent dehydrated and
starving chicks. Chick food is different compared
to grown-up chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated and
also non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for an additional 2 months,
then to a slightly
lower protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks prefer to get a running start on taking
dust baths, while others will not take
up that task until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Attention and also love There are a
few benefits to spending time with your chicks. First off, they will certainly most
likely bond with you and
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
watch their behavior, you could
capture ailment or other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or
other undesirable
indications. Be sure to
also consider
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can lead
to matted plumes and clogged up cloaca.
Finally, it is very
important to watch out for social issues, such as the
smallest chick getting teased. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety of your home
as well as move outside right into a cage. Check out our
part on chicken cages to learn more
about cages and also
correct coop environments.
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