Baby Chickens for Sale in Dow City, Iowa
Baby Chickens for Sale in Dow City, Iowa
Like What You See? Stay Updated!
Posted By on March 1, 2016
We were so busy last year taking care of our new chicken flock…that we never even put out a blog about them! Well here is our announcement. We’ve had chickens since last spring! By now they are fully grown and doing great. We have 10 hens and 2 roosters and they all get along very well most of the time. Egg production is picking up after the last few dark and cold months. In January we got 70 eggs and in February we got 116 eggs. March will probably bring over 150 eggs! Lots of hard boiled eggs are consumed for lunch these days.
For anyone who is interested we got some uncommon varieties.
5 Blue Andalusians –
These are the black, gray and white chicks.
5 Cuckoo Marans –
These are the black with yellow spot on the head. They lay super dark brown eggs.
5 Easter Egg Chickens –
These are the tan/brown with stripes. They will lay pastel blue and green eggs (hence the name).
1 Dark Brahmas –
Murray McMurray always sends on free exotic chick with each order and this is the one we got!
Here’s a photo from last spring when they arrived.
Baby Chicks!
Cute!
They grew up very quickly.
Stanley – Blue Andalusian
Humphrey & Bee
Gem
Eventually they reached full size!
Blue Andalusian Rooster – Stanley
Bee – Dark Brahmas Rooster
Then we started getting eggs….and eggs….and more eggs…. I think we have collected over 500 eggs now since they started laying back in August.
We also named all of our chickens. The two roosters are named Stanley (Blue Andalusian) and Bee (Dark Brahmas). The hens are named Penelope, Gertrude, Delilah (Cuckoo Marans), Gem, Opal, Lucy (Blue Andalusian), Rosie, Myrtle, Mable and Hazel (Easter Eggers).
Every one of them is great and has their own special personality. Last year I spent a lot of time sitting with them and feeding them all sorts of treats from the garden. Winter time has brought this to a minimal time but I still go out every day to see them and make sure they have food and water. We set up a large heated container for water and a large bin for food so we don’t need to fill either for a long time. We also have the door on a timer. I’ll post about that later on.
Sadly we also learned how to butcher live chickens. We had 4 other roosters that didn’t make list of chickens to keep. 5 roosters is way too many for 10 hens! Even 2 is pushing it but they get along alright. They were named Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Cristo and Humphrey. Of all of them we miss Humphrey the most and will never forget him. He was a gorgeous bird. They just got too aggressive toward our hens so they ended up in the pot. It was an invaluable skill to learn as a homesteader and we have plans to raise meat birds later on so will be putting it to use again someday. We won’t be naming those birds though. It makes it much more difficult.
Like What You See? Stay Updated!
Categories: Tags: ,
About The Author
Comments
Leave a Reply
Raising Baby Quail Chicks in Dow City, Iowa
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Dow City Iowa, 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. Dow City Iowa also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Dow City Iowa, 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 Dow City IA.Baby Chicks Names in Dow City, Iowa
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Dow City Iowa 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
Dow City Iowa * 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 Dow City
Iowa * 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 As Pets in Dow City, Iowa
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 Dow City Iowa 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 Dow City, Iowa Baby chicks are quite charming and also hard to withstand, yet it's finest to prepare for their arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare initially by compiling not only the correct products, but also the proper understanding to care for them. Raising baby chicks is relatively simple, you simply have to give them with the following: A clean and warm and comfortable environment Plenty of food and water Focus and also love Habitat Your environment could be an easy box, fish tank, cat carrier, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels and blankets (with no loosened strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks utilize straw over paper. Note: Avoid utilizing only newspaper or other sandal surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow malformed. You additionally need something to dish out food and also water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar lid for food and also a family pet bird water dispenser from a pet dog store. Likewise, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch into the environment to obtain them educated on setting down. Heat To maintain your chicks heat you should supply them with a warmth source. This can be as basic as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat bulb additionally work effectively (my suggestion). Chicks require this warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is replaced with plumes (which could take up to 2 months). The recently hatched out need a temperature in between 90 as well as 100 levels, and weekly this could be minimized by around 5 levels or so. The heat source ought to be on just one side of the cage to permit chicks an array of temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal thermometer- if they are hiding in the opposite corner of your warmth lamp, you have to reduce the temperature. If they are smothering each other under the heat (not simply cuddling), you have to put some heat. Home cleaning Cleanliness is crucial as well as it keeps your chicks healthy. Make sure to transform the bedding frequently as well as constantly give clean food and also water Food as well as water. Chicks grow extremely quick which needs lots of tidy food as well as water. Offer sufficient at all times and inspect frequently to avoid dehydrated and hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared to grown-up chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the very first two months, then switch over to a grower food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for an additional 2 months, and afterwards to a slightly reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks like to get a running start on taking filth bathrooms, while others won't take up that task up until they are older. If you have the space in your chick room, present a tray of sand or dust for them to wash in. Interest and also love There are a few advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly probably bond with you and not escape as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and view their actions, you can catch disease or various other issues earlier. Watch out for hissing, hopping, or other undesirable indicators. Make sure to additionally check out their poop, as looseness of the bowels could cause matted feathers and stopped up cloaca. Lastly, it is necessary to watch out for social concerns, such as the smallest chick obtaining badgered. Empty nest syndrome So your chicks are currently totally feathered and its time for them to leave the safety of your home as well as relocate outside into a coop. Have a look at our section on chicken coops to read more about cages and appropriate cage environments.Baby Chicks Names Baby Chickens 101
More Posts
Baby Chickens for Sale in Central City, Iowa
Baby Chickens for Sale in Calmar, Iowa
Baby Chickens for Sale in Curlew, Iowa
Baby Chickens for Sale in Cushing, Iowa
Baby Chickens for Sale in Danville, Iowa