In a few weeks, 26 chicks will invade our house. I have never personally raised chickens before and I’m getting a little nervous. Today I thought I would spout out some random chicken facts so that I feel prepared for the invasion. Um, right.
So, here are some things about chickens that I didn’t know a year ago.
Bantam: a mini chicken. Usually a breed of chicken has a full sized and a bantam size.
Wattle: the little red flap of skin that hangs under a chicken’s chin. (I always think of Allie McBeal. Does anyone else remember the guy on that show who had a wattle obsession?)
Girl chickens (hens) do not require a boy chicken (rooster) to lay eggs. They can lay without him around – the eggs just aren’t fertile and can’t turn into baby chicks.
People at the feed store look at you funny if you refer to hens and roosters as girl and boy chickens.
Some birds are better at laying eggs so they are referred to as egg layers. Others taste better so they are called meat birds. Some do both jobs pretty well and are given the title dual purpose. And yet others just stand around looking pretty so they are called exhibition or show birds.
Heritage chickens are breeds of chickens that are older and usually haven’t been specifically bred to increase egg laying or meat production. Often they are considered dual purpose.
Meat birds have different labels depending on when they are butchered. Broilers or fryers are usually butchered younger (the age depends on the breed) and typically weigh less than 3.5 pounds. Roasters are 4 or 5 pounds while stewing chickens are the oldest and weigh the most. They are usually laying hens who are done laying. They need to be cooked for a long time to soften up their tough meat.
An old biddy is an affectionate name for an old laying hen. It is NOT a good nickname for your wife. It CAN be used when talking about crabby women – as long as you are a woman yourself and the person you’re talking about isn’t around.
The term “sexed” does not mean what you might think. (And I’m not telling you what I thought it meant.) It means getting the gender of chicken that you want when you order from a hatchery (typically females if you want laying hens).
Ordering chicks “straight run” means getting both males and females. You can usually do this with meat birds because you will butcher them before the hens start laying eggs or the rooster get too, well, rooster-y.
So now that I’ve proven my abilities for listing random chicken facts, I feel much better about my poultry-raising skills.
Um, right.
Thanks to my dad for the chicken pictures and for fielding all my chicken-related questions!
Other posts that might be of interest:
Baby Chickens For Sale Free Shipping in
Lafitte, Louisiana
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Lafitte Louisiana,
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. Lafitte
Louisiana also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Lafitte Louisiana, 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 Lafitte LA.
Baby Chickens In
The Mail in
Lafitte, Louisiana
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Lafitte Louisiana
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
Lafitte Louisiana * 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 Lafitte
Louisiana * 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 By Mail in
Lafitte, Louisiana
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
Lafitte Louisiana 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 Lafitte,
Louisiana Baby chicks are quite
cute and also
challenging to stand up to,
however it's finest to plan for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
proper products, yet
likewise the correct
knowledge to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
basic, you just have to offer them with the following: A
clean and also cozy
habitat Lots of food as well
as water Focus as well as
love Environment Your environment can be a straightforward box, aquarium,
feline service provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (without any loosened
strings!) to start, as well as after a few weeks use straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of just
newspaper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can grow
malformed. You also require
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle jar
lid for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from an animal store. Additionally, as the chicks get
older you could present a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
educated on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you should
give them with a warmth resource.
This can be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb likewise work effectively (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can take up to two months). The recently
hatched need a temperature
between 90 and 100 degrees,
as well as weekly this could
be reduced by
around 5 levels or
so. The heat source should be on merely one side of the cage
to enable chicks a range of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
other edge of your heat
lamp, you have to
decrease the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not merely snuggling),
you have to include some heat.
House cleaning
Tidiness is crucial as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to transform
the bedding
usually and also
always give tidy
food and water Food and water.
Chicks expand really fast
which calls for lots of tidy
food as well as water. Offer
sufficient at all times and inspect
often to avoid thirsty and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is different compared
to adult chicken food, and also it comes
in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, then
switch to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for an additional 2 months,
and then to a slightly
reduced protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to obtain a head start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't take
up that task till they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
dirt for them to wash in.
Attention as well as love There are a
few benefits to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will more than likely bond with you and
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
view their habits, you could
capture illness or other issues earlier. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
various other undesirable
indicators. Be sure to
also look at
their poop, as diarrhea can cause matted feathers and obstructed cloaca.
Last but not least, it is very
important to look out
for social issues, such as the
smallest chick obtaining picked
on. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are currently completely feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
as well as move outside into a cage. Check out our
part on chicken cages to get more information
concerning cages as well as
proper coop environments.
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