Baby Chickens for Sale in Smithville, Indiana
Baby Chickens for Sale in Smithville, Indiana
What Chickens Taught Our Kids About Responsibility
One of our goals as parents is to teach our children responsibility and accountability. As organic dairy farmers in southeastern Minnesota, we have a strong work ethic and feel that staying in bed until 7am is sleeping in!
Summer vacation was looming. We didn't want our daughters (ages 12 & 9) to just hang around without having something productive to do each morning that would get them out of bed. Since our milking setup wasn't conducive to having them help, we needed another option. My husband came up with the idea of having them raise chickens. The girls would do the work, market the birds, and keep the money to put toward fun activities with their friends and school clothes for the fall. Besides giving them a reason to get up in the morning, we felt that our plan would also help them learn some basic money skills.
We started with 300 day-old chicks. My husband, Chuck, and the girls picked them up from the feed store. They carefully dipped the beak of each bird in water and set them on the floor lined with newspaper. The heat from the brooder stove kept their furry little yellow bodies warm.
Each morning and late afternoon, the girls would go down and take care of their chickens. They cleaned the waterers and filled them with fresh, cool water. They poured food into the feeders scattered around the room. They watched the little birds to make sure they were doing okay.
Every few days for the first couple of weeks they had to remove the soiled newspaper and replace it with fresh, clean newspaper. As the weeks went by, the birds grew. Finally they were ready for butchering. We loaded the live birds into crates and took them to a USDA processing facility that was several miles from our home. The next day we went back and picked up the dressed (cleaned), frozen birds.
The girls went to several networking (BNI) meetings with me to market their birds. They brought a bird to show, talked about their project, described how tasty the birds were, and handed out flyers for ordering. They learned how to give a specific 60-second commercial that made the audience drool (especially when they talked about chicken cooked on the grill with BBQ sauce). They sold over 230 birds through word-of-mouth marketing.
The next year we ordered 600 birds. The process was the same but the girls weren't as excited. It took more coaxing (and occasional threats) to get them to do the chores. To be honest, it would have been easier for me to have done the chores myself, but that wasn't teaching them what I wanted them to learn.
The next year, my husband ordered 900 birds without consulting our daughters or me. Our daughters rebelled and refused to take care of them. They found it more fun to trap gophers because they made good money and they got to DRIVE out in the fields. Driving to make money was so much cooler than walking down to the chicken barn! I ended up doing the chicken chores. That was the last year we had chickens.
Our family learned some great lessons from this experience. These lessons apply both in life and in business. We learned:
- There is an adrenaline rush and higher energy level when we are introduced to something new. It's usually temporary.
- Getting support from the people who are supposed to be helping us is critical. If they don't want to do it, it either won't get done or won't get done well. There is massive effort and energy involved in trying to convince someone to do something on a regular or consistent basis if they don't want to do it. This applies whether it's our kids, spouse, or employees!
- Be aware of the trends (or the temperament of kids in this case) and how the changes will affect us and what we want to accomplish. If the chicken barn had been in a different location where they would have had to DRIVE to it, they probably would have had chickens one more year.
- Know when to move on!
I love sharing this story and then drawing comparisons on how it applies as business professionals and speakers. The audience resonates strongly and remembers the story for years to come. Think about your own life - what stories can you bring to life from the stage that can be associated with you and remembered for years to come?
Sue
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Baby Chicks Baby Chickens in Smithville, Indiana
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Smithville 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. Smithville Indiana also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Smithville 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 Smithville IN.Baby Chicks Breeds in Smithville, Indiana
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Smithville 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
Smithville 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 Smithville
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 To Buy in Smithville, 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 Smithville 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 Smithville, Indiana Baby chicks are really charming and hard to stand up to, but it's best to plan for their arrival before you get them. Prepare initially by compiling not only the correct materials, yet additionally the appropriate knowledge to take care of them. Raising baby chicks is relatively basic, you just have to provide them with the following: A tidy and cozy habitat Plenty of food and water Focus and also love Environment Your environment could be a simple box, aquarium, feline service provider, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels and coverings (with no loose strings!) to begin, and after a few weeks use straw over newspaper. Note: Avoid using only newspaper or other sandal surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow malformed. You likewise require something to provide food and water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water dish from the feed store, or a pickle container cover for food and also an animal bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Also, as the chicks age you can present a perch right into the environment to obtain them educated on setting down. Heat To maintain your chicks heat you should provide them with a warmth resource. This could be as easy as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile warmth bulb likewise work extremely well (my recommendation). Chicks need this warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is changed with plumes (which could use up to two months). The recently hatched out require a temperature in between 90 and 100 degrees, and every week this can be reduced by roughly 5 degrees approximately. The heat source need to get on simply one side of the cage to permit chicks a range of temperatures. The chicks are your ideal thermometer- if they are concealing in the other edge of your warmth light, you should minimize the temperature. If they are surrounding each various other under the warmth (not just cuddling), you need to include some heat. Home cleaning Sanitation is crucial as well as it maintains your chicks healthy and balanced. Make sure to transform the bed linens frequently and consistently give clean food and also water Food and water. Chicks grow really quick which calls for lots of tidy food and water. Supply enough whatsoever times and examine typically to avoid thirsty and starving chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated and also non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the first two months, after that switch to a raiser food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for another 2 months, then to a somewhat reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed (if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking dirt baths, while others won't take up that task until they are older. If you have the area in your chick unit, introduce a tray of sand or filth for them to shower in. Attention and love There are a few benefits to hanging out with your chicks. To start with, they will probably bond with you and not flee as adults. Second, if you examine your chicks daily and also enjoy their habits, you can catch health problem or various other problems previously. Keep an eye out for wheezing, limping, or other harmful indications. Be sure to also take a look at their poop, as looseness of the bowels could lead to matted feathers and also blocked cloaca. Lastly, it is very important to look out for social issues, such as the smallest chick obtaining teased. Vacant nest disorder So your chicks are currently completely feathery and also its time for them to leave the security of your house and move outside into a coop. Check out our part on chicken coops to learn more concerning cages as well as proper cage environments.Baby Chicks Online Baby Chickens How To Raise
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