Life with Barred Rocks | Chickens with Personality
Last winter I read Joel Salatin’s . A great, very educational book about the benefits of keeping chickens in mobile coops rather than stationary coops (which I intend to get us closer towards). This book is set up for those who are looking specifically to go into the pastured poultry business, but I gleaned a lot of useful tips for us to use. After reading it and reading yet again about mass market chicken recalls, I conjured up a great plan. We would get new chicks every two years and the older chickens, who’ve made it past their egg laying prime, would become, well, soup. That would solve two problems. It would keep us well in eggs every year and we could have a safe and healthy meat harvest every two years. As with many great plans of mine, it looked great on paper and hasn’t really worked out so well in reality.
After having ‘taken care of’ three sick chickens in the past few months, Scott wasn’t nearly as eager to ‘harvest’ six extra birds. ‘They still will lay pretty well their third year, won’t they?’ What can I say? We aren’t eager animal harvesters. In fact it weighs us down quite a bit to bring death to a chicken, but we do it when we have to. It’s just a reality you have to face as a chicken owner.
The birds that ideally we’d like to harvest are pretty bland on personality. We gave up long ago naming our chickens and this batch didn’t really call out to be named. This mix of Rhode Island Reds and Golden Sexlinks have always been rather stand-off-ish and have left us feeling pretty neutral about them. But, they’ve been fantastic egg layers.
So while we haven’t yet followed the first part of my plan, we did follow through on the second part. Which was to acquire new chicks. We brought home and they are really messing with my plan! These chickens have so much personality that we’ve all grown incredibly fond of them. Whenever we come outside they run towards us and follow us around like puppies. They keep us laughing with how curious they are about everything. Hopping up into trees and onto trellises. How would we ever turn these girls into soup?
Well, I’ll keep you updated you as my chicken plan progresses.
Do you have any chicken breeds that are your favorite?
Related Posts:
Share this:
Like this:
LikeLoading...
Baby Chicks Outside in
Moran, Kansas
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Moran Kansas,
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. Moran
Kansas also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Moran Kansas, 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 Moran KS.
Baby Chickens Facts in
Moran, Kansas
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Moran Kansas
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
Moran Kansas * 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 Moran
Kansas * 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 In The Mail in
Moran, Kansas
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
Moran Kansas 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 Moran,
Kansas Baby chicks are extremely
cute as well as
difficult to stand up to,
however it's ideal to plan for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first
by gathering not only the
appropriate materials, yet
also the correct
expertise to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
straightforward, you simply have to supply them with the following: A tidy and warm and comfortable
environment Plenty of food and also water Interest and
love Habitat Your environment can be a basic box, aquarium,
pet cat carrier, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (without loose
strings!) to begin, and after a few weeks use straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of only
newspaper or other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You likewise require
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle jar
cover for food and a pet bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Also, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch
right into the habitat to get them
trained on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks warm you have to
give them with a heat 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 warmth
light bulb likewise function extremely well (my
recommendation). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can take up to 2 months). The recently
hatched require a temperature level
between 90 and also 100 degrees,
as well as every week this could
be minimized by
around 5 degrees or
so. The heat source must be on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks a variety of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
opposite edge of your warmth
light, you should
minimize the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
heat (not just snuggling),
you have to add some warmth.
Home cleaning
Cleanliness is key as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to alter
the bedding
frequently and also
consistently provide tidy
food and water Food and also water.
Chicks grow very quick
which requires lots of tidy
food and also water. Provide
enough at all times and examine
frequently to prevent thirsty and
starving chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, as well as it is available in both medicated and
also non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, then
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
then to a slightly
lower protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks like 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 space in your chick
unit, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to bathe in.
Attention as well as love There are a
few advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. To start
with, they will most
likely bond with you and also
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
see their habits, you can
capture health problem or various
other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
other harmful
indications. Make certain to
also take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea can bring about matted plumes as well
as blocked cloaca.
Last but not least, it is essential to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
littlest chick getting teased. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety of your home
and also relocate outside into a cage. Look into our
area on chicken coops for more information
concerning cages and
proper cage habitats.
Baby Chickens And Heat LampsBaby Chickens Outside More Posts Baby Chickens for Sale in Hugoton, Kansas Baby Chickens for Sale in Hillsdale, Kansas Baby Chickens for Sale in Home, Kansas Baby Chickens for Sale in Hesston, Kansas Baby Chickens for Sale in Ensign, Kansas