We have had chickens for the last 5-6 years, and they have been enjoyable little workers for our tiny homestead. Awhile ago I was one of the Trustees for our large plot subdivision, that prohibits having chickens. My wife wanted chickens, and she ignored my dislike of the idea, and spoke with the other Trustees. She was asking for a variance to the subdivision rules, and followed their direction getting signatures from a portion of the other homeowners. Once complete, then they had other hoops for her to jump through just to get a vote to change the rules. What??? She just wanted a variance, not to change the rules, or to jump through more hoops to be told no. She asked what would happen if she just got them, and they replied they would sue (with a grin on his face, because he know there were much bigger fish to fry than a pretty girl’s chickens).
So, now we had to build a coop. The coop measured about 8 foot by 4 foot, and about 5 foot high at the top of the angled roof. The floor of the coop is layered with wood shavings and a nesting box provides access into the coop to grab the eggs. My wife built a run measuring 8 foot by 20, out of regular lumber and covered it with chicken wire. The chickens were ordered in a group of 25 baby hens, and she raised them, then found a new home for half of them, as she originally only wanted about a dozen birds.
The birds are allowed to free range throughout the day, and they find their way back into the coop as the sun is setting. We will go out in the evening to close the run and the coop, and open it all up the next morning. A couple of times, the run gets closed before they retire for the night, and we have had to hunt them down roosting in trees and behind bushes in the middle of the night. There is chicken feed to supplement the food they can find free ranging. Their egg production for the first few years was great, we would net about 8 eggs every day. We could had more if we ran a light 16 hours a day in the coop. Now that the remainder of those chickens are older, egg production has dwindled to almost none. She has a couple of new batches of hens (and a rooster, hope the neighbors aren’t too annoyed) that she has raised since May.
The chickens help the yard by scratching around looking for bugs. They are entertaining to watch how they interact with each other and handle their “pecking order”. One bit of advice though, don’t let your wife name them after her aunts, because it is difficult to tell the family that a stray dog, or another predator has killed the chicken named after them. The chickens we have are basically pets that luckily have a small production quality, rather than just being consumers. We have considered getting birds to raise for meat, but we are not ready for handling the day the culling would happen just yet, although the quality of meat would be far superior to what the grocery stores offer.
We also realized how little is known about chicken reproduction. We have been asked numerous time about why we get eggs when we (at the time) did not have a rooster. We also were surprised when someone couldn’t believe we would eat brown eggs that came out of a chicken’s butt. So I asked where the white eggs she buys at the store come from (and watched a blank stare of realization happening). The eggs are very fresh and look much richer than eggs bought from the store, and likely they are a month or two fresher.
If you have some space and the desire to raise chickens, they will be an asset to your little homestead too. Please feel free to comment with your questions or tell us about your flock.
SP
Baby Chicks
Breeds in
Berlin, Massachusetts
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Berlin Massachusetts,
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. Berlin
Massachusetts also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Berlin Massachusetts, 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 Berlin MA.
Baby Chicks Buy in
Berlin, Massachusetts
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Berlin Massachusetts
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
Berlin Massachusetts * 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 Berlin
Massachusetts * 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 Not Eating in
Berlin, Massachusetts
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
Berlin Massachusetts 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 Berlin,
Massachusetts Baby chicks are really
cute and also
tough to withstand,
however it's ideal to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
proper materials, however
also the proper
understanding to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
straightforward, you just need
to provide them with the following: A tidy and also warm and comfortable
habitat A lot of food and water Interest and also
love Environment Your habitat could be a straightforward box, fish tank,
cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and also
blankets (with no loose
strings!) to start, and also after a
couple of weeks utilize straw over paper.
Note: Avoid using only
paper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You likewise need
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle container
cover for food and also an animal bird water dispenser from a pet store. Also, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch
into the environment to get them
trained on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you need to
give them with a heat source.
This can be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb likewise function very
well (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can occupy to 2 months). The freshly
hatched need a temperature level
between 90 and also 100 levels,
and also each week this could
be lowered by
about 5 levels or
so. The warmth resource should get on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks a range of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
contrary corner of your heat
light, you need to
reduce the temperature. If
they are smothering each various other under the
warmth (not simply curling up),
you should include some warmth.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is vital and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Make sure to alter
the bed linens
often and also
consistently supply clean
food as well as water Food and also water.
Chicks expand very fast
which calls for plenty of tidy
food as well as water. Offer
sufficient at all times and examine
frequently to avoid parched as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated and non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
very first two months, then
switch to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and afterwards to a slightly
lower protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks like to get a head start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others won't use up that task up until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
unit, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to wash in.
Attention as well as love There are a couple of advantages to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly most
likely bond with you as well as
not escape as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
enjoy their actions, you can
capture health problem or various
other issues previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
various other harmful
indicators. Be sure to
also check out
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can result in matted plumes as well
as stopped up cloaca.
Lastly, it is essential to watch out for social issues, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining badgered. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently completely feathered
and its time for them to leave the
security of your home
and move outside into a cage. Take a look at our
part on chicken cages to learn more
regarding coops and
appropriate cage environments.
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