Baby Chickens for Sale in Brimfield, Massachusetts
Baby Chickens for Sale in Brimfield, Massachusetts
The Harried Homemaker Preps
There were two things that kept me away from keeping poultry for years: poop and parasites. I've had at least one child in diapers since the early '00s so I really didn't want to add yet more poop management to my daily duties. Thankfully, I found out about using in my chicken coop and it really minimizes the amount of work with manure. That still leaves the parasite part, though. Chickens are prone to getting several varieties of lice and mites, as well as intestinal worms. I don't do bugs. At all. To give you a sense of the depth of my phobia, my parents tease me about the time when I was a little girl and I cried when a butterfly came too near me. I still don't like butterflies. I didn't make the jump into chicken keeping until I was able to resign myself to the fact that a) I would probably see bugs on them and b) I would have to do something about it. Chickens naturally take dust baths as a way to get rid of external parasites. They throw themselves down in a dusty spot and roll around until they get dirt in all their nooks and crannies. Dust baths are very effective but even so, chickens can suffer from lice and mites. But then I learned a way to soup up my chickens' dust baths by providing them with a box filled with pest repellent materials. Here's how I did it. I sent Hubby Dear to a big box pet store to buy the biggest litter box he could find. He certainly delivered.
| A king-sized litter box fit for |
This is 34.5" x 19.5" x 10". Two chickens could bathe in here at the same time. The depth is the most critical dimension. You want all your bathing materials to stay in the box when the chickens do their thing. (Ever ? They can go kinda crazy.)
| Adding the first layer of peat moss |
You can fill your dust box with any number of materials. Harvey Ussery recommends peat moss, dried and sifted clay, and/or small amounts of wood ash. I used peat moss (I always have some handy) plus some sand I had left over from another project.
| Food-grade DE. Do NOT use any other type of DE with your poultry. |
Now for the good stuff. You can add garden lime, food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE), or elemental sulfur powder to really sock it to those parasites. Remember to wear a good dust mask whenever you work with DE. It is really fine and you'll breathe it in and irritate your lungs.
I should mention that Gail Damerow, author of Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, doesn't think you should use DE in dust boxes for parasite prevention. Chickens can be prone to respiratory problems and breathing in DE is not a good thing for anyone. Damerow thinks you should only use DE and other heavy-hitting anti-parasite products when there is an obvious infestation. Harvey Ussery, on the other hand, routinely uses a small amount of DE in . I decided to go Ussery's route and use DE as part of my dust box mix.
I also mix a little DE in with my chickens' feed. Some people claim that feeding DE to poultry will serve as a natural dewormer. Gale Damerow has a negative opinion of that as well. She says that DE only works to kill worms, etc. when it is dry. Once it has made its way through the chicken's digestive tract, it is not dry and no longer has any of the microscopic cutting edges that serve to kill the bad guys. I still do it on the off chance that it will work!
| Peat, sand, and DE, ready to be mixed |
After I mixed it all together, the dust box had about 5 inches of material inside it. I laboriously dragged the heavy and awkward box outside and placed it in a sunny part of the chickens' run.
| All done |
After my chickens began spending more of their time outdoors instead of "cooped up", I went ahead and moved the dust box up into their coop. The behemoth does take up quite a bit of floor space, but that's not as much of a big deal now they are outside from dawn until dusk. The important thing is that the dust bath will remain dry so the chickens can bathe to their hearts' content no matter the weather.
References:
1. by Harvey Ussery 2. by Gail Damerow Calling all poultry owners! Do you provide a dust box for your chickens? Do you use DE on a routine basis? 
Baby Chicks In The Mail in Brimfield, Massachusetts
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Brimfield 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. Brimfield Massachusetts also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Brimfield 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 Brimfield MA.Baby Chickens And Ducks For Sale in Brimfield, Massachusetts
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Brimfield 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
Brimfield 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 Brimfield
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 Chickens As Pets in Brimfield, 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 Brimfield 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 Brimfield, Massachusetts Baby chicks are extremely cute and also hard to resist, yet it's ideal to prepare for their arrival before you get them. Prepare first by collecting not only the appropriate products, however additionally the appropriate knowledge to take care of them. Raising baby chicks is fairly easy, you just need to provide them with the following: A clean and also cozy environment Lots of food as well as water Attention and love Environment Your environment could be a simple box, fish tank, feline service provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and also coverings (with no loose strings!) to start, and also after a few weeks utilize straw over paper. Note: Avoid using just newspaper or various other slipper surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand misshapen. You likewise require something to dish out food and water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water dish from the feed store, or a pickle jar lid for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Also, as the chicks grow older you can present a perch into the habitat to obtain them educated on setting down. Heat To maintain your chicks warm you need to give them with a heat resource. This can be as easy as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb also function very well (my referral). Chicks need this warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is changed with feathers (which could take up to 2 months). The newly hatched require a temperature level between 90 as well as 100 levels, and each week this could be decreased by roughly 5 levels or so. The heat source need to get on simply one side of the cage to enable chicks a range of temperatures. The chicks are your ideal thermometer- if they are hiding in the contrary edge of your heat light, you need to minimize the temperature. If they are surrounding each other under the warmth (not just curling up), you have to put some heat. House cleaning Cleanliness is vital and it keeps your chicks healthy. Make sure to alter the bedding frequently as well as constantly provide clean food and water Food and water. Chicks grow extremely fast which needs lots of clean food and also water. Supply sufficient in any way times and inspect usually to stop parched and starving chicks. Chick food is various compared to adult chicken food, and also it comes in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the very first two months, after that switch over to a grower food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for an additional 2 months, and after that to a slightly reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have layers). Soil Some chicks prefer to get a running start on taking dirt baths, while others won't use up that task up until they are older. If you have the room in your chick room, introduce a tray of sand or dust for them to bathe in. Focus as well as love There are a couple of benefits to hanging out with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly most likely bond with you and also not escape as adults. Second, if you examine your chicks daily as well as enjoy their actions, you could catch health problem or various other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or various other unhealthy signs. Make sure to also look at their poop, as diarrhea can bring about matted feathers and clogged cloaca. Lastly, it is very important to look out for social concerns, such as the littlest chick getting picked on. Empty nest disorder So your chicks are currently totally feathery as well as its time for them to leave the safety of your house as well as move outside into a coop. Have a look at our area on chicken cages to read more concerning cages as well as proper coop environments.Baby Chicks For Sale Baby Chickens And Ducks For Sale
More Posts
Baby Chickens for Sale in Abington, Massachusetts
Baby Chickens for Sale in Ashland, Massachusetts
Baby Chickens for Sale in Barnstable, Massachusetts
Baby Chickens for Sale in Boxborough, Massachusetts
Baby Chickens for Sale in Athol, Massachusetts