It was a typical Tuesday morning at 1840 Farm. I was 90 minutes into a tomato soup canning session when the phone rang. When I picked it up, I could immediately hear the “cheep, cheep, cheep” in the background as a not very impressed postal employee informed me that I needed to come pick up my chicks. I could tell from the tone of his voice that he wanted me there yesterday.
So, hot water bath canner bubbling on the stove, I calmly told him, “I’ll be there in thirty minutes!” I raced to the garage to set up their new home. I wasn’t expecting for them to arrive until later this week, but luckily we had already gathered the necessary supplies. I ran back into the house, turned the heat off under the canning pot, set the timer for five minutes and watched the time tick down. There was nothing that I could do but wait and hope that they would still be “peeping” when I got there.
They were. As soon as I entered the post office, I could hear them from the back room. I waited my turn and told them that I was there for the baby chicks. They never asked my name. They didn’t ask to see any form of identification. They quickly handed over the baby chicks. They were happy to see my pick up my package and head for the door. I can tell you that I got a lot of interesting glances as I was walking out to my car. People tend to stare when you are carrying a package the size of a child’s shoe box that is peeping.
We ordered our heritage breed chicks from . They were great about offering resources for first time chicken keepers. They kept recommending not to open the box in front of children as a few of them might not have made the journey and lived to peep about it. So, I knew what I needed to do. I carefully cut the strapping tape away from three of the sides. I gently lifted the lid and tried to count the little fluff balls inside.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! They had all made it. Now to get them home and settled in. My daughter couldn’t wait to get them out of the box and into their little warm brooder. We opened the box and two hopped right out into the pine shavings. The rest of them quickly decided that living in their little shipping box forever seemed like a good idea. Finally, with a little encouragement, they gently set foot into their new space.
We watched them with bated breath. Would they drink? Would they eat? Were they warm enough? Too warm? Who knew that chicken keeping was this difficult? I carefully picked each chick up and dipped its beak into the waterer. Some happily drank water while others immediately pulled their beaks out of the water as if they were being waterboarded. Those chicks ran away from the water to the safety of the opposite corner of the brooder. They were definitely keeping an eye on me. I was not to be trusted.
That was, until I brought more food. Then I was back in their good graces as they all investigated their surroundings, had a snack, and settled in under the heat lamp for a well deserved nap. They were exhausted from their journey. I was certainly exhausted from mine.
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Baby Chicks Types in
Erving, Massachusetts
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Erving 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. Erving
Massachusetts also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Erving 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 Erving MA.
Raising Baby Chickens in
Erving, Massachusetts
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Erving 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
Erving 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 Erving
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 Habitat in
Erving, 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
Erving 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 Erving,
Massachusetts Baby chicks are extremely
charming and
challenging to withstand,
but it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first
by collecting not only the
correct products, however
additionally the correct
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
straightforward, you simply should offer them with the following: A
clean and cozy
environment Plenty of food as well
as water Focus and
love Habitat Your environment can be an easy box, aquarium,
feline provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (with no loosened
strings!) to start, and after a few weeks use straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing just
newspaper or other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand
malformed. You also 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 container
lid for food and also an animal bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Also, as the chicks get
older you could introduce a perch
into the environment to get them
educated on setting down. Warmth To
keep your chicks warm you should
provide them with a heat resource.
This could be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb additionally function effectively (my
referral). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which could take up to two months). The recently
hatched out require a temperature level
between 90 and 100 degrees,
and every week this can
be minimized by
about 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource ought
to get on simply one side of the cage
to enable chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
other corner of your warmth
light, you need to
decrease the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not simply curling up),
you should add some heat.
Housekeeping
Tidiness is essential and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to alter
the bedding
often as well as
consistently supply tidy
food and water Food and also water.
Chicks expand extremely quickly
which calls for plenty of clean
food and also water. Give
sufficient in any way times and also examine
usually to
stop dehydrated as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, and it comes
in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
then to a somewhat
reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking
filth bathrooms, while others will not occupy that activity till they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to bathe in.
Focus as well as love There are a
few advantages to spending time with your chicks. First off, they will certainly more than likely bond with you as well as
not flee as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
watch their habits, you can
catch ailment or various
other problems previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
various other undesirable
signs. Make certain to
additionally check out
their poop, as diarrhea could cause matted feathers as well
as obstructed cloaca.
Lastly, it is necessary to watch out for social problems, such as the
tiniest chick getting teased. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are now totally feathery
and its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
as well as relocate outside into a
coop. Take a look at our
section on chicken coops for more information
concerning cages and
correct cage habitats.
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