Baby Chickens for Sale in Afton, Minnesota
Baby Chickens for Sale in Afton, Minnesota
Baby Chickens are Here
The baby chickens are here! Last Thursday we received a new batch of baby chickens. The order from My Pet Chicken, , was delivered to my door step via overnight mail. Inside the box were 5 chirping little baby chickens consisted of 2 Easter eggers, 1 Welsummer, 1 Dominique, and 1 Australorp. The babies will be living in a brooder (large plastic container with a heat lamp, chick feed, and water) insider our house for the next 4 weeks or until they have their adult feathers. We will be recording their development so keep checking out the Chicken Chronicles.
Two years ago we decided to get our own flock of backyard chickens for fresh eggs. We had been buying fresh eggs at our local seasonal farmers market, but from October to May when the farmers market was closed, we couldn’t get fresh eggs. I did some research about our local city ordinances pertaining to chickens and found out we could have chickens, but no roosters. So I started looking around for how to raise chickens, and where to get chickens and found Backyard Chickens, , and My Pet Chicken, . Backyard Chickens is a fantastic forum on everything you will ever need to know about caring for your chickens. My Pet Chicken is a wonderful place to order chickens. They have an excellent bird profile that helps you select birds for your part of the country, color of eggs, personality of the birds, gender selection, and you can order as few as three birds for shipment.
Backyard chickens use to be common. Less than fifty years ago, everyone had backyard chickens. Both my parents and my husband’s parents grew up with chickens. Nowadays, backyard chickens are a rare and sometime illegal occurrence. We are fortunate enough to live in a city where backyard chickens are legal, but no roosters. Granted, the neighbors dog is louder and more obnoxious than any rooster I have ever met.
So why did the backyard chicken disappear? The industrialization of farming lead to the low cost, mass production of factory farmed chickens and eggs. This movement toward industrialized food not only separated us from the source of our food, it also stripped us of our knowledge for raising and keeping backyard chickens. Yes, it’s much easier to go to the big box store to buy 99 cent eggs. But 99 cent eggs come at a much larger price, not only at the expense of our health, but also the welfare of our local farmers.
Now let me dispel some rumors about chickens. Rumor 1)They smell. Like any animal, if you don’t care for them and don’t clean up after them they will smell. Our girls have free range of our backyard and I clean their coop every five days. They do NOT smell. Rumor 2) Chickens are loud. If you have a rooster, yep they can be pretty loud, but hens are not loud. They will announce to the world when they lay an egg, or when they are crabby (usually hungry or getting ready to lay an egg). Our next door neighbors know we have chickens, but two houses down or across the street people don’t even know that we have chickens. Rumor 3) You need a rooster to get eggs. False, hens will happily lay unfertilized eggs as long as they get proper nutrition and 12 to 14 hours of sunlight. Rumor 4) Chickens lay only extra large white eggs. Hens lay eggs in a variety of colors from chocolate brown to pale blue and can vary in size. Rumor 5) Chickens can fly out of your backyard. Possibly, but they don’t really fly. They sort of jump and flap which can get them about 3 feet off the ground. Large birds, like our Welsummer can’t fly, but our little Cochin bantam, can jump over our 3 foot garden fence when on the hunt for tasty arugula.
Now that you know the truth about backyard chickens, consider raising up your own flock of hens. They are low maintenance, produce wonderful free fertilizer, will bring you hours of entertainment, and most importantly they can make you the most healthy and delicious eggs you’ve ever had for breakfast.
Baby Chickens And Ducks in Afton, Minnesota
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Afton Minnesota, 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. Afton Minnesota also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Afton Minnesota, 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 Afton MN.Raising Baby Chickens in Afton, Minnesota
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Afton Minnesota 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
Afton Minnesota * 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 Afton
Minnesota * 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 Afton, Minnesota
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 Afton Minnesota 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 Afton, Minnesota Baby chicks are extremely adorable as well as tough to withstand, yet it's finest to prepare for their arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare initially by gathering not only the appropriate products, yet additionally the appropriate understanding to care for them. Raising baby chicks is relatively easy, you merely have to supply them with the following: A clean and cozy environment Lots of food and water Attention and also love Environment Your environment could be a basic box, fish tank, pet cat service provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and blankets (without loosened strings!) to start, as well as after a few weeks utilize straw over paper. Note: Avoid utilizing just newspaper or various other sandal surfaces-- or your chicks legs could expand misshapen. You likewise need something to dish out food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder and water meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar lid for food as well as a pet bird water dispenser from a pet store. Also, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch right into the environment to obtain them educated on setting down. Heat To keep your chicks heat you have to give them with a heat source. This can be as basic as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb additionally function very well (my referral). Chicks need this warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is changed with feathers (which can occupy to 2 months). The newly hatched out need a temperature between 90 and also 100 degrees, as well as each week this can be reduced by around 5 degrees or so. The warmth resource ought to be on just one side of the cage to enable chicks a range of temperatures. The chicks are your ideal thermostat- if they are hiding in the opposite corner of your heat lamp, you need to reduce the temperature. If they are smothering each various other under the warmth (not simply cuddling), you should include some heat. Home cleaning Tidiness is crucial and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Make sure to change the bed linens typically as well as constantly give clean food as well as water Food and water. Chicks expand extremely quick which requires plenty of clean food as well as water. Supply sufficient at all times as well as inspect typically to avoid parched and hungry chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, and it is available in both medicated and non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the initial two months, then change to a grower food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for an additional 2 months, then to a somewhat reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks like to obtain a running start on taking dust bathrooms, while others won't use up that task up until they are older. If you have the space in your chick enclosure, present a tray of sand or filth for them to bathe in. Attention and also love There are a couple of advantages to spending time with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly probably bond with you as well as not run away as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and also see their habits, you can capture health problem or various other troubles earlier. Keep an eye out for wheezing, limping, or various other undesirable indicators. Make certain to additionally consider their poop, as diarrhea can lead to matted feathers and obstructed cloaca. Last but not least, it is important to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the smallest chick getting badgered. Empty nest syndrome So your chicks are now completely feathery as well as its time for them to leave the security of your house and also move outside into a cage. Look into our part on chicken cages for more information about coops as well as proper coop habitats.Baby Chickens And Baby Ducks Baby Chicks For Sale
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