Baby Chickens for Sale in North Waterford, Maine
Baby Chickens for Sale in North Waterford, Maine
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Posted By on March 1, 2016
We were so busy last year taking care of our new chicken flock…that we never even put out a blog about them! Well here is our announcement. We’ve had chickens since last spring! By now they are fully grown and doing great. We have 10 hens and 2 roosters and they all get along very well most of the time. Egg production is picking up after the last few dark and cold months. In January we got 70 eggs and in February we got 116 eggs. March will probably bring over 150 eggs! Lots of hard boiled eggs are consumed for lunch these days.
For anyone who is interested we got some uncommon varieties.
5 Blue Andalusians –
These are the black, gray and white chicks.
5 Cuckoo Marans –
These are the black with yellow spot on the head. They lay super dark brown eggs.
5 Easter Egg Chickens –
These are the tan/brown with stripes. They will lay pastel blue and green eggs (hence the name).
1 Dark Brahmas –
Murray McMurray always sends on free exotic chick with each order and this is the one we got!
Here’s a photo from last spring when they arrived.
Baby Chicks!
Cute!
They grew up very quickly.
Stanley – Blue Andalusian
Humphrey & Bee
Gem
Eventually they reached full size!
Blue Andalusian Rooster – Stanley
Bee – Dark Brahmas Rooster
Then we started getting eggs….and eggs….and more eggs…. I think we have collected over 500 eggs now since they started laying back in August.
We also named all of our chickens. The two roosters are named Stanley (Blue Andalusian) and Bee (Dark Brahmas). The hens are named Penelope, Gertrude, Delilah (Cuckoo Marans), Gem, Opal, Lucy (Blue Andalusian), Rosie, Myrtle, Mable and Hazel (Easter Eggers).
Every one of them is great and has their own special personality. Last year I spent a lot of time sitting with them and feeding them all sorts of treats from the garden. Winter time has brought this to a minimal time but I still go out every day to see them and make sure they have food and water. We set up a large heated container for water and a large bin for food so we don’t need to fill either for a long time. We also have the door on a timer. I’ll post about that later on.
Sadly we also learned how to butcher live chickens. We had 4 other roosters that didn’t make list of chickens to keep. 5 roosters is way too many for 10 hens! Even 2 is pushing it but they get along alright. They were named Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Cristo and Humphrey. Of all of them we miss Humphrey the most and will never forget him. He was a gorgeous bird. They just got too aggressive toward our hens so they ended up in the pot. It was an invaluable skill to learn as a homesteader and we have plans to raise meat birds later on so will be putting it to use again someday. We won’t be naming those birds though. It makes it much more difficult.
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Baby Chicks Near Me in North Waterford, Maine
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in North Waterford Maine, 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. North Waterford Maine also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in North Waterford Maine, 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 North Waterford ME.Baby Chickens And Ducks in North Waterford, Maine
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in North Waterford Maine 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
North Waterford Maine * 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 North Waterford
Maine * 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 Needs in North Waterford, Maine
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 North Waterford Maine 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 North Waterford, Maine Baby chicks are quite charming and also difficult to stand up to, yet it's ideal to prepare for their arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially by gathering not just the correct materials, yet also the proper understanding to care for them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably simple, you merely need to offer them with the following: A tidy as well as warm habitat A lot of food and water Focus and love Habitat Your habitat could be a simple box, fish tank, feline service provider, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as coverings (without loosened strings!) to begin, and after a few weeks use straw over newspaper. Keep in mind: Avoid making use of only newspaper or various other sandal surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand 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 container lid for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Additionally, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch into the environment to get them trained on perching. Heat To keep your chicks warm you should supply them with a warmth resource. This could be as easy as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from a hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth bulb additionally work extremely well (my recommendation). Chicks require this heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is changed with plumes (which could occupy to 2 months). The recently hatched out require a temperature level between 90 and 100 levels, and every week this could be decreased by about 5 levels or so. The warmth resource should get on just one side of the cage to enable chicks a range of temperature levels. The chicks are your best thermostat- if they are concealing in the other edge of your heat lamp, you have to decrease the temperature. If they are surrounding each various other under the warmth (not simply snuggling), you need to put some warmth. Housekeeping Sanitation is crucial and also it maintains your chicks healthy and balanced. Be sure to alter the bed linen typically as well as always offer tidy food and water Food and water. Chicks expand quite quick which calls for plenty of tidy food as well as water. Provide enough whatsoever times as well as check frequently to avoid thirsty and hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared to adult chicken food, and also it comes in both medicated and also non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the initial 2 months, then change to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for another 2 months, then to a somewhat reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed (if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks like to obtain a head start on taking dust bathrooms, while others won't take up that activity until they are older. If you have the room in your chick enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or dirt for them to bathe in. Attention as well as love There are a few benefits to spending time with your chicks. To start with, they will certainly probably bond with you and not escape as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily as well as see their behavior, you can capture ailment or various other problems previously. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or various other undesirable signs. Make sure to additionally take a look at their poop, as looseness of the bowels can cause matted feathers as well as blocked cloaca. Finally, 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 now totally feathered as well as its time for them to leave the safety and security of your house and relocate outside into a cage. Look into our part on chicken cages to read more regarding cages and also appropriate cage environments.Baby Chickens Under Lights Baby Chickens By Mail
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