At exactly 21 days, we made the trip up to Monroe to pick out some new baby chicks that Midnight would hopefully raise as her own. Monroe Farm and Feed had an incredible selection of chicks; some pullets, some straight-run. Some of them were very young, some of them were starting to develop their combs already! I would have gladly taken one of each but settled for four; two araucanas, one welsummer and one cuckoo maran. These were all pullets at the baby stage — it seemed that Midnight would be most likely to adopt babies, and I like a little peace of mind that there’s more than a 50% chance they’ll be hens. My mother-in-law, Trudy, was with me for the excursion. When I mentioned my grand surrogate plan earlier in their visit, her eyes lit up since she was going to be here to see it all go down.Early Saturday afternoon, we were on our way home with four tiny chicks peeping away in a box in the back seat of the car. I was so excited!
, a photo by on Flickr.
Too excited, maybe. When we got home, I went ahead and tucked them in with Midnight. That didn’t go so well. Midnight pecked at the little maran and seemed agitated, so we moved the babies to the other end of the coop, making sure they couldn’t get out, and others couldn’t get in. Naturally we couldn’t help but peek in on them throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening.
, a photo by on Flickr.
As it started to get dark, I decided it was time to try it again. We barricaded Midnight into the nesting box, and placed the peeps under/around her. She didn’t immediately reject them, so we sat outside for a while so that we could hear any troubling squawks and squeals. Everything sounded good so we checked on them one last time for the night and headed inside.
, a photo by on Flickr.
The next morning, I headed right outside to see what was going on. Mama and babies were all together and everyone made it through the night. Whew! Hooray! I rather-obsessively checked on them throughout the day, and we removed the barricade and took measures to make sure that no one would fall through the trap door.
, a photo by on Flickr.
It’s now Tuesday and the five of them are one happy little family. This little project has caused some upset for the other birds. The red birds (Ginger and Penney) and the two old birds (Jazzy and Yogi) don’t get along, so sharing a coop is out of the question. G+P have their coop to themselves, and J+Y are sleeping in a cardboard in the ‘downstairs’ area of their coop. For now, this will have to work. I am thinking that I will move Midnight and her brood to the other coop and give them half of the upstairs, and the red birds the other half. I just want to make sure that she’s not going to abandon her flock and I would think that a week is long enough for them to form that bond.
, a photo by on Flickr.
Raising Baby Chickens in
Pine Grove, Louisiana
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Pine Grove 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. Pine Grove
Louisiana also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Pine Grove 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 Pine Grove LA.
Baby Chicks Supplies in
Pine Grove, Louisiana
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Pine Grove 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
Pine Grove 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 Pine Grove
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 Male in
Pine Grove, 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
Pine Grove 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 Pine Grove,
Louisiana Baby chicks are quite
charming as well as
tough to withstand,
however it's best to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by gathering not just the
proper materials, however
also the appropriate
expertise to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
basic, you just need
to give them with the following: A
clean and also warm
habitat A lot of food as well
as water Interest and also
love Environment Your environment could be a
simple box, fish tank,
pet cat carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (without loosened
strings!) to start, and after a
couple of weeks utilize straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of only
newspaper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can grow
malformed. You also require
something to serve up food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle container
cover for food as well as an animal bird water dispenser from an animal store. Likewise, as the chicks age you can present a perch
into the environment to obtain them
educated on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you need to
supply them with a warmth resource.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb likewise work extremely well (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which can take up to 2 months). The freshly
hatched need a temperature level
in between 90 as well as 100 levels,
as well as every week this could
be reduced by
roughly 5 levels approximately. The heat source should get on merely one side of the cage
to allow chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
other edge of your warmth
lamp, you need to
lower the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
warmth (not just snuggling),
you should put some heat.
Home cleaning
Cleanliness is key as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to alter
the bed linens
commonly and also
consistently offer tidy
food as well as water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow really quickly
which needs a lot of tidy
food and also water. Supply
enough in any way times as well
as check
frequently to avoid parched and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is different compared
to grown-up chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
first two months, after that
switch to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
and then to a slightly
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others will not occupy that activity 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.
Attention and also love There are a
few advantages to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will probably bond with you as well as
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
see their habits, you could
capture illness or other troubles earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
other unhealthy
indications. Be sure to
likewise take a look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can lead
to matted feathers and also stopped up cloaca.
Finally, it is very
important to look out
for social problems, such as the
tiniest chick getting picked
on. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently fully feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your residence
as well as move outside into a cage. Have a look at our
section on chicken cages to get more information
regarding cages and also
proper coop environments.
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