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 As
Pets in
Blackford, Kentucky
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Blackford Kentucky,
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. Blackford
Kentucky also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Blackford Kentucky, 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 Blackford KY.
Baby Chicks Gender in
Blackford, Kentucky
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Blackford Kentucky
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
Blackford Kentucky * 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 Blackford
Kentucky * 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 Names in
Blackford, Kentucky
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
Blackford Kentucky 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 Blackford,
Kentucky Baby chicks are really
adorable as well as
difficult to stand up to,
yet it's finest to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by compiling not only the
correct materials, however
likewise the correct
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
easy, you just should supply them with the following: A
clean and warm and comfortable
habitat Plenty of food and also water Interest as well as
love Environment Your environment could be a basic box, aquarium,
pet cat service provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as
coverings (without loose
strings!) to begin, as well as after a few weeks use straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid utilizing just
newspaper or various other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You likewise require
something to serve up food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food as well as a pet bird water dispenser from an animal store. Also, as the chicks get
older you can introduce a perch
into the environment to obtain them
educated on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you need to
give 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 store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb likewise work extremely well (my
referral). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which could use
up to two months). The newly
hatched need a temperature level
between 90 and also 100 degrees,
and also weekly this could
be reduced by
about 5 degrees or
so. The warmth source need to be on merely one side of the cage
to enable chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
opposite edge of your heat
light, you should
minimize the temperature. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not simply cuddling),
you have to include some heat.
Home cleaning
Cleanliness is vital and also it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to change
the bed linens
often and
always offer clean
food and water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand very fast
which requires a lot of tidy
food and also water. Give
sufficient in any way times and examine
frequently to prevent dehydrated as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated and non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, after that
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and then to a slightly
lower protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks prefer to get a head start on taking
filth baths, while others will not occupy that activity until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to shower in.
Attention and love There are a
few benefits to spending time with your chicks. Firstly, they will more than likely bond with you and
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
view their actions, you can
capture disease or other issues earlier. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, limping, or
other undesirable
indicators. Make certain to
likewise take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea could result in matted feathers and also obstructed cloaca.
Finally, it is essential to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the
smallest chick obtaining picked
on. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are now totally feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
and also relocate outside right into a cage. Look into our
section on chicken cages to learn more
about coops and
appropriate coop environments.
Baby Chickens For Sale Near MeBaby Chicks Breeds More Posts Baby Chickens for Sale in Bethany, Kentucky Baby Chickens for Sale in Beech Creek, Kentucky Baby Chickens for Sale in Belfry, Kentucky Baby Chickens for Sale in Belcher, Kentucky Baby Chickens for Sale in Avawam, Kentucky