Baby Chickens for Sale in Annandale, Minnesota
Baby Chickens for Sale in Annandale, Minnesota
Backyard Chickens: Baby Chicks!
Our new chicks (from left) Cruella, Susie and Phyllis.
There are few things as exciting for owners of backyard chickens as getting new chicks. They are just so cute and fuzzy. We picked up our little girls on Tuesday, January 29 from the breeder we bought Zsa Zsa from. This time we had some complications with our chicks. In the first few weeks we wound up losing two of the four chicks to what appeared to be cocci. Following is a bit of information about our two survivors and some lessons learned.
This is Susie (Susan B. Anthony) our blue cochin who will be large and silver.
My wife can come up with some clever names. Our Blue Cochin will grow into a very large blue/silver colored chicken. She is the largest of our chicks and is probably between 1-2 weeks old. She has a very loud chirp. She was loud enough that she woke me up overnight with her chirping. You will notice that she is feathered down her legs. This is a unique trait of the Cochin breed of chickens.
Cochins grow into large, fluffy chickens. Most of them weight 8-10lbs and look like they weigh about 20lbs with all their feathers. They are a very friendly breed and like to play mother hen, sitting on any eggs they find. The Cochin variety of bird lays approximately 3-4 eggs a week. The eggs are a creamy brown color. Cochins became world famous when a Chinese delegation gave some Cochins to Queen Victoria of England, who adored these chickens. They have been in America since around 1850 and are known to be especially friendly, although our chick is the bully of the brooding box
Our Gold Laced Polish chick – we named her Joan McHENzie since she is going to look a lot like me.
We also have a Gold Laced Polish chick. This chick will grow into a friendly, unique looking hen. She will have a fluff of feather on her head that will be gold, black and brown. Polish chicks do really well in the heat. They lay a small to medium white egg.
The two chicks we lost were a White Crested Black Polish that would have been a beautiful bird. We also lost a Silver Polish. All the chicks were inoculated against cocci but wound up getting sick and the symptoms were amazingly similar to cocci. When chicks have been inoculated against cocci they are usually fed non-medicated feed. After we lost our first two chicks I went ahead and switched to medicated feed and haven’t had a problem since. The only reason I could find for the non-medicated feed was that it was a waste of money since they had already been treated for this issue. Here are the two chicks we lost, and the names we came up with:
Our extra chick – a Silver Polish named Phyllis.
Cruella Deville, our White Crested Black Polish chicken.
We keep our chicks in the house when they are young. They hang out in the office in a breeding box that I made. They sleep for the first few days because they have been through A LOT! Chicks are shipped via express shipping to breeders and individuals in special boxes. Our breeder had at least 100 chicks in her garage. The extra travel to our house puts a bit more strain on them and they need to rest, eat and drink.
Chicks stay under a heat source that keeps the temperature in that portion of the box between 95-98 degrees. They are good about moving themselves around the box to regulate their temperature. They eat a special form of starter feed that is crumbled and easy to digest.
Getting to know the chicks.
In 1-2 weeks the chicks will start to pop out some feathers. They will begin those awkward weeks when they look like teenagers going through puberty. Frankly they are pretty ugly when they are pullets. Once they have fully feathered out and temps warm up outside, they will be introduced to the big chickens in the coop. I will let the young pullets out in the kennel portion of the coop so they are protected but not in with the big chickens. They can look at each other and get used to each other. Slowly they will be introduced to each other. We’ve never had a real problem with chickens get along since we tend to buy friendly breeds.
A lot of people ask how much chicks cost. If you already have all the gear (coop, brooding box, feeder, water, heat lamp) or can borrow it, the cost is pretty low. These unique chicks cost $18 all together. Their starter feed runs about $10. There are cleaning costs too…
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Baby Chicks Online in Annandale, Minnesota
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Annandale 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. Annandale Minnesota also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Annandale 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 Annandale MN.Baby Chickens Online in Annandale, Minnesota
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Annandale 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
Annandale 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 Annandale
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 In The Mail in Annandale, 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 Annandale 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 Annandale, Minnesota Baby chicks are very charming and challenging to stand up to, yet it's best to plan for their arrival before you get them. Prepare first by compiling not just the correct products, however additionally the proper understanding to take care of them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably easy, you merely need to provide them with the following: A clean and warm and comfortable environment Lots of food and water Focus and love Habitat Your habitat could be a straightforward box, fish tank, feline carrier, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as coverings (with no loose strings!) to start, and after a couple of weeks utilize straw over paper. Note: Avoid using just paper or various other slipper surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow malformed. You additionally need something to dish out food and water in, such as a chicken feeder and water recipe from the feed store, or a pickle container cover for food as well as an animal bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Also, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch into the environment to get them trained on perching. Warmth To maintain your chicks heat you need to offer them with a warmth source. This can be as easy as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth light bulb also function effectively (my recommendation). Chicks require this heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is changed with plumes (which could occupy to two months). The newly hatched out require a temperature in between 90 as well as 100 degrees, as well as weekly this can be decreased by approximately 5 levels approximately. The heat resource need to be on merely one side of the cage to enable chicks an array of temperatures. The chicks are your finest thermometer- if they are hiding in the opposite corner of your warmth light, you have to decrease the temperature level. If they are surrounding each other under the warmth (not simply curling up), you have to add some heat. House cleaning Sanitation is vital and it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to change the bed linens frequently and constantly offer tidy food and water Food and also water. Chicks expand really fast which calls for a lot of clean food as well as water. Give enough in any way times as well as check frequently to prevent thirsty and also hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared to adult chicken food, and it is available in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the first 2 months, then switch to a raiser food (~ 17 % protein) for another 2 months, and then to a slightly reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking dirt bathrooms, while others won't take up that task up until they are older. If you have the room in your chick unit, introduce a tray of sand or dirt for them to wash in. Focus and also love There are a couple of advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly more than likely bond with you and not run away as grownups. Second, if you examine your chicks daily and view their habits, you can capture disease or various other troubles previously. Keep an eye out for wheezing, limping, or various other unhealthy signs. Make sure to also take a look at their poop, as looseness of the bowels can lead to matted plumes and clogged cloaca. Finally, it is necessary to look out for social concerns, such as the littlest chick getting badgered. Vacant nest syndrome So your chicks are now totally feathered as well as its time for them to leave the safety and security of your home and relocate outside into a coop. Have a look at our area on chicken cages to learn more about cages and proper coop environments.Baby Chicks Mail Order Baby Chickens Habitat
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