Baby Chickens for Sale in Saint John, Indiana
Baby Chickens for Sale in Saint John, Indiana
The Harried Homemaker Preps
There were two things that kept me away from keeping poultry for years: poop and parasites. I've had at least one child in diapers since the early '00s so I really didn't want to add yet more poop management to my daily duties. Thankfully, I found out about using in my chicken coop and it really minimizes the amount of work with manure. That still leaves the parasite part, though. Chickens are prone to getting several varieties of lice and mites, as well as intestinal worms. I don't do bugs. At all. To give you a sense of the depth of my phobia, my parents tease me about the time when I was a little girl and I cried when a butterfly came too near me. I still don't like butterflies. I didn't make the jump into chicken keeping until I was able to resign myself to the fact that a) I would probably see bugs on them and b) I would have to do something about it. Chickens naturally take dust baths as a way to get rid of external parasites. They throw themselves down in a dusty spot and roll around until they get dirt in all their nooks and crannies. Dust baths are very effective but even so, chickens can suffer from lice and mites. But then I learned a way to soup up my chickens' dust baths by providing them with a box filled with pest repellent materials. Here's how I did it. I sent Hubby Dear to a big box pet store to buy the biggest litter box he could find. He certainly delivered.
| A king-sized litter box fit for |
This is 34.5" x 19.5" x 10". Two chickens could bathe in here at the same time. The depth is the most critical dimension. You want all your bathing materials to stay in the box when the chickens do their thing. (Ever ? They can go kinda crazy.)
| Adding the first layer of peat moss |
You can fill your dust box with any number of materials. Harvey Ussery recommends peat moss, dried and sifted clay, and/or small amounts of wood ash. I used peat moss (I always have some handy) plus some sand I had left over from another project.
| Food-grade DE. Do NOT use any other type of DE with your poultry. |
Now for the good stuff. You can add garden lime, food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE), or elemental sulfur powder to really sock it to those parasites. Remember to wear a good dust mask whenever you work with DE. It is really fine and you'll breathe it in and irritate your lungs.
I should mention that Gail Damerow, author of Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, doesn't think you should use DE in dust boxes for parasite prevention. Chickens can be prone to respiratory problems and breathing in DE is not a good thing for anyone. Damerow thinks you should only use DE and other heavy-hitting anti-parasite products when there is an obvious infestation. Harvey Ussery, on the other hand, routinely uses a small amount of DE in . I decided to go Ussery's route and use DE as part of my dust box mix.
I also mix a little DE in with my chickens' feed. Some people claim that feeding DE to poultry will serve as a natural dewormer. Gale Damerow has a negative opinion of that as well. She says that DE only works to kill worms, etc. when it is dry. Once it has made its way through the chicken's digestive tract, it is not dry and no longer has any of the microscopic cutting edges that serve to kill the bad guys. I still do it on the off chance that it will work!
| Peat, sand, and DE, ready to be mixed |
After I mixed it all together, the dust box had about 5 inches of material inside it. I laboriously dragged the heavy and awkward box outside and placed it in a sunny part of the chickens' run.
| All done |
After my chickens began spending more of their time outdoors instead of "cooped up", I went ahead and moved the dust box up into their coop. The behemoth does take up quite a bit of floor space, but that's not as much of a big deal now they are outside from dawn until dusk. The important thing is that the dust bath will remain dry so the chickens can bathe to their hearts' content no matter the weather.
References:
1. by Harvey Ussery 2. by Gail Damerow Calling all poultry owners! Do you provide a dust box for your chickens? Do you use DE on a routine basis? 
Baby Chicks Price in Saint John, Indiana
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Saint John 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. Saint John Indiana also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Saint John 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 Saint John IN.Baby Chickens Buy in Saint John, Indiana
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Saint John 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
Saint John 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 Saint John
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 in Saint John, 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 Saint John 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 Saint John, Indiana Baby chicks are extremely charming and also difficult to resist, but it's finest to plan for their arrival before you get them. Prepare first by compiling not just the right materials, however additionally the correct understanding to take care of them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably simple, you simply have to supply them with the following: A clean as well as warm habitat Plenty of food as well as water Attention as well as love Habitat Your habitat can be a simple box, fish tank, cat service provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and also blankets (with no loosened strings!) to begin, as well as after a couple of weeks make use of straw over paper. Note: Avoid making use of just newspaper or various other sandal surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand misshapen. You also require something to provide food and water in, such as a chicken feeder and water recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle container lid for food and also an animal bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Additionally, as the chicks grow older you can present a perch right into the habitat to get them trained on perching. Warmth To maintain your chicks warm you need to give them with a heat source. This could be as straightforward as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb additionally function effectively (my suggestion). Chicks need this heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is changed with plumes (which could take up to two months). The newly hatched require a temperature level in between 90 and also 100 levels, as well as every week this could be decreased by approximately 5 degrees or so. The heat source ought to be on simply one side of the cage to enable chicks a range of temperatures. The chicks are your best thermostat- if they are hiding in the contrary edge of your heat lamp, you need to reduce the temperature. If they are surrounding each various other under the warmth (not simply snuggling), you have to add some warmth. House cleaning Sanitation is crucial as well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to transform the bed linen usually and also always supply clean food and also water Food as well as water. Chicks grow very fast which calls for lots of clean food and also water. Provide sufficient at all times as well as inspect typically to stop dehydrated and also starving chicks. Chick food is different than 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 raiser food (~ 17 % protein) for another 2 months, and afterwards to a slightly reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks prefer to get a head start on taking dust bathrooms, while others won't use up that activity until they are older. If you have the space in your chick room, introduce a tray of sand or dust for them to wash in. Interest as well as love There are a couple of advantages to hanging out with your chicks. First of all, they will most likely bond with you and also not escape as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and see their actions, you could capture ailment or various other issues earlier. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or other harmful indicators. Make sure to also check out their poop, as diarrhea can result in matted feathers and also clogged cloaca. Finally, it is important to look out for social concerns, such as the tiniest chick obtaining teased. Vacant nest disorder So your chicks are now fully feathery and its time for them to leave the safety of your residence and relocate outside right into a coop. Check out our section on chicken coops for more information regarding coops as well as correct coop environments.Baby Chickens Baby Chicks Information
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