In a few weeks, 26 chicks will invade our house. I have never personally raised chickens before and I’m getting a little nervous. Today I thought I would spout out some random chicken facts so that I feel prepared for the invasion. Um, right.
So, here are some things about chickens that I didn’t know a year ago.
Bantam: a mini chicken. Usually a breed of chicken has a full sized and a bantam size.
Wattle: the little red flap of skin that hangs under a chicken’s chin. (I always think of Allie McBeal. Does anyone else remember the guy on that show who had a wattle obsession?)
Girl chickens (hens) do not require a boy chicken (rooster) to lay eggs. They can lay without him around – the eggs just aren’t fertile and can’t turn into baby chicks.
People at the feed store look at you funny if you refer to hens and roosters as girl and boy chickens.
Some birds are better at laying eggs so they are referred to as egg layers. Others taste better so they are called meat birds. Some do both jobs pretty well and are given the title dual purpose. And yet others just stand around looking pretty so they are called exhibition or show birds.
Heritage chickens are breeds of chickens that are older and usually haven’t been specifically bred to increase egg laying or meat production. Often they are considered dual purpose.
Meat birds have different labels depending on when they are butchered. Broilers or fryers are usually butchered younger (the age depends on the breed) and typically weigh less than 3.5 pounds. Roasters are 4 or 5 pounds while stewing chickens are the oldest and weigh the most. They are usually laying hens who are done laying. They need to be cooked for a long time to soften up their tough meat.
An old biddy is an affectionate name for an old laying hen. It is NOT a good nickname for your wife. It CAN be used when talking about crabby women – as long as you are a woman yourself and the person you’re talking about isn’t around.
The term “sexed” does not mean what you might think. (And I’m not telling you what I thought it meant.) It means getting the gender of chicken that you want when you order from a hatchery (typically females if you want laying hens).
Ordering chicks “straight run” means getting both males and females. You can usually do this with meat birds because you will butcher them before the hens start laying eggs or the rooster get too, well, rooster-y.
So now that I’ve proven my abilities for listing random chicken facts, I feel much better about my poultry-raising skills.
Um, right.
Thanks to my dad for the chicken pictures and for fielding all my chicken-related questions!
Other posts that might be of interest:
Baby Chickens How To Care For Them in
Evansville, Minnesota
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Evansville 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. Evansville
Minnesota also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Evansville 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 Evansville MN.
Baby
Chicks Not Eating in
Evansville, Minnesota
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Evansville 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
Evansville 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 Evansville
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 Chickens In
The Mail in
Evansville, 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
Evansville 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 Evansville,
Minnesota Baby chicks are extremely
cute and
difficult to withstand,
but it's finest to prepare for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare initially
by compiling not just the
appropriate products, but
also the appropriate
understanding to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
simple, you just need
to give them with the following: A
clean and warm and comfortable
environment A lot of food and also water Attention as well as
love Environment Your habitat can be a straightforward box, aquarium,
pet cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (without any loosened
strings!) to start, and also after a few weeks make use of straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using just
newspaper or other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You likewise 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
cover for food and also a pet dog bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Also, as the chicks age you could present a perch
into the environment to obtain them
trained on setting down. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you need to
give them with a heat source.
This can be as basic 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 very
well (my
referral). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which can occupy to 2 months). The freshly
hatched out need a temperature
between 90 and also 100 levels,
and weekly this could
be lowered by
roughly 5 degrees approximately. The heat source need to be on merely one side of the cage
to enable chicks a variety of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
opposite edge of your heat
light, you should
minimize the temperature. If
they are smothering each various other under the
warmth (not merely cuddling),
you have to put some warmth.
House cleaning
Sanitation is essential as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to alter
the bedding
often and also
constantly provide tidy
food as well as water Food and water.
Chicks expand really fast
which needs lots of tidy
food and water. Provide
sufficient whatsoever times and inspect
usually to avoid parched and also
starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and also it comes
in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
first two months, after that
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and then to a somewhat
reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
dirt baths, while others won't take
up that activity up until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to bathe in.
Attention as well as love There are a
few benefits to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will most
likely bond with you as well as
not escape as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
watch their behavior, you can
capture illness or other troubles previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
other undesirable
indicators. Be sure to
additionally take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea can lead
to matted plumes as well
as clogged up cloaca.
Lastly, it is necessary to look out
for social problems, such as the
littlest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently completely feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety of your home
and relocate outside right into a
coop. Take a look at our
area on chicken coops to get more information
about cages as well as
proper cage habitats.
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