Baby Chickens for Sale in Opelousas, Louisiana
Baby Chickens for Sale in Opelousas, Louisiana
Backyard Chickens: Baby Chicks!
Our new chicks (from left) Cruella, Susie and Phyllis.
There are few things as exciting for owners of backyard chickens as getting new chicks. They are just so cute and fuzzy. We picked up our little girls on Tuesday, January 29 from the breeder we bought Zsa Zsa from. This time we had some complications with our chicks. In the first few weeks we wound up losing two of the four chicks to what appeared to be cocci. Following is a bit of information about our two survivors and some lessons learned.
This is Susie (Susan B. Anthony) our blue cochin who will be large and silver.
My wife can come up with some clever names. Our Blue Cochin will grow into a very large blue/silver colored chicken. She is the largest of our chicks and is probably between 1-2 weeks old. She has a very loud chirp. She was loud enough that she woke me up overnight with her chirping. You will notice that she is feathered down her legs. This is a unique trait of the Cochin breed of chickens.
Cochins grow into large, fluffy chickens. Most of them weight 8-10lbs and look like they weigh about 20lbs with all their feathers. They are a very friendly breed and like to play mother hen, sitting on any eggs they find. The Cochin variety of bird lays approximately 3-4 eggs a week. The eggs are a creamy brown color. Cochins became world famous when a Chinese delegation gave some Cochins to Queen Victoria of England, who adored these chickens. They have been in America since around 1850 and are known to be especially friendly, although our chick is the bully of the brooding box
Our Gold Laced Polish chick – we named her Joan McHENzie since she is going to look a lot like me.
We also have a Gold Laced Polish chick. This chick will grow into a friendly, unique looking hen. She will have a fluff of feather on her head that will be gold, black and brown. Polish chicks do really well in the heat. They lay a small to medium white egg.
The two chicks we lost were a White Crested Black Polish that would have been a beautiful bird. We also lost a Silver Polish. All the chicks were inoculated against cocci but wound up getting sick and the symptoms were amazingly similar to cocci. When chicks have been inoculated against cocci they are usually fed non-medicated feed. After we lost our first two chicks I went ahead and switched to medicated feed and haven’t had a problem since. The only reason I could find for the non-medicated feed was that it was a waste of money since they had already been treated for this issue. Here are the two chicks we lost, and the names we came up with:
Our extra chick – a Silver Polish named Phyllis.
Cruella Deville, our White Crested Black Polish chicken.
We keep our chicks in the house when they are young. They hang out in the office in a breeding box that I made. They sleep for the first few days because they have been through A LOT! Chicks are shipped via express shipping to breeders and individuals in special boxes. Our breeder had at least 100 chicks in her garage. The extra travel to our house puts a bit more strain on them and they need to rest, eat and drink.
Chicks stay under a heat source that keeps the temperature in that portion of the box between 95-98 degrees. They are good about moving themselves around the box to regulate their temperature. They eat a special form of starter feed that is crumbled and easy to digest.
Getting to know the chicks.
In 1-2 weeks the chicks will start to pop out some feathers. They will begin those awkward weeks when they look like teenagers going through puberty. Frankly they are pretty ugly when they are pullets. Once they have fully feathered out and temps warm up outside, they will be introduced to the big chickens in the coop. I will let the young pullets out in the kennel portion of the coop so they are protected but not in with the big chickens. They can look at each other and get used to each other. Slowly they will be introduced to each other. We’ve never had a real problem with chickens get along since we tend to buy friendly breeds.
A lot of people ask how much chicks cost. If you already have all the gear (coop, brooding box, feeder, water, heat lamp) or can borrow it, the cost is pretty low. These unique chicks cost $18 all together. Their starter feed runs about $10. There are cleaning costs too…
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Baby Chickens Coop in Opelousas, Louisiana
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Opelousas 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. Opelousas Louisiana also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Opelousas 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 Opelousas LA.Baby Chicks Diet in Opelousas, Louisiana
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Opelousas 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
Opelousas 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 Opelousas
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 Home in Opelousas, 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 Opelousas 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 Opelousas, Louisiana Baby chicks are extremely charming and challenging to stand up to, but it's best to plan for their arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first by collecting not only the correct products, but additionally the correct understanding to take care of them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably easy, you just have to supply them with the following: A clean and cozy environment A lot of food and also water Interest and also love Environment Your habitat can be a simple box, aquarium, cat carrier, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and also coverings (without any loosened strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks utilize straw over newspaper. Note: Avoid using just paper or various other slipper surfaces-- or your chicks legs can grow malformed. You likewise require something to dish out food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder and water dish from the feed shop, or a pickle jar lid for food and also a family pet bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you can introduce a perch right into the environment to obtain them trained on perching. Warmth To maintain your chicks heat you have to supply them with a heat source. This can be as simple as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile heat bulb additionally work very well (my referral). Chicks need this heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is replaced with feathers (which could use up to two months). The recently hatched out require a temperature in between 90 and 100 levels, and also each week this can be minimized by around 5 levels or so. The warmth source must get on just one side of the cage to permit chicks a variety of temperature levels. The chicks are your finest thermostat- if they are hiding in the other corner of your warmth light, you have to minimize the temperature. If they are smothering each other under the warmth (not just curling up), you need to add some warmth. Housekeeping Tidiness is vital as well as it keeps your chicks healthy and balanced. Be sure to change the bed linens often and also constantly supply clean food as well as water Food and water. Chicks grow extremely quickly which needs a lot of tidy food as well as water. Offer enough in any way times as well as inspect often to stop thirsty as well as starving chicks. Chick food is different compared to adult chicken food, as well as it is available in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the first two months, then change to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for another 2 months, then to a somewhat reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks like to obtain a running start on taking filth bathrooms, while others will not take up that task up until they are older. If you have the room in your chick unit, present a tray of sand or filth for them to bathe in. Focus and love There are a couple of benefits to spending time with your chicks. First off, they will probably bond with you as well as not run away as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and also enjoy their actions, you can capture disease or other problems previously. Watch out for hissing, hopping, or other undesirable indications. Make sure to also take a look at their poop, as diarrhea can bring about matted plumes and clogged up cloaca. Last but not least, it is important to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the tiniest chick obtaining badgered. Empty nest syndrome So your chicks are currently fully feathery as well as its time for them to leave the security of your house and move outside right into a cage. Take a look at our section on chicken coops to get more information concerning coops and correct cage environments.Baby Chicks Outside With Heat Lamp Baby Chickens How To Care
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