Baby Chickens for Sale in Hayward, Minnesota
Baby Chickens for Sale in Hayward, 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 Chickens And Ducks in Hayward, Minnesota
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Hayward 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. Hayward Minnesota also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Hayward 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 Hayward MN.Baby Chicks Food in Hayward, Minnesota
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Hayward 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
Hayward 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 Hayward
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 Hayward, 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 Hayward 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 Hayward, Minnesota Baby chicks are very adorable and challenging to resist, yet it's best to plan for their arrival prior to you get them. Prepare first by compiling not only the proper materials, but likewise the proper knowledge to care for them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably basic, you simply have to supply them with the following: A clean as well as warm environment Lots of food as well as water Attention as well as love Environment Your environment could be a straightforward box, fish tank, cat service provider, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as coverings (without any loose strings!) to begin, as well as after a couple of weeks use straw over newspaper. Note: Avoid using only newspaper or various other slipper surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand malformed. You likewise require something to serve up food and also water in, such as a chicken feeder and water meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar lid for food and a family pet bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you could present a perch right into the habitat to obtain them trained on setting down. Warmth To maintain your chicks heat you have to offer them with a warmth source. This could be as simple as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth light bulb also function very well (my referral). Chicks require this heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is replaced with feathers (which could use up to 2 months). The freshly hatched out require a temperature in between 90 and also 100 levels, and weekly this could be minimized by about 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource ought to be on simply one side of the cage to permit chicks an array of temperatures. The chicks are your ideal thermostat- if they are hiding in the other corner of your heat light, you need to decrease the temperature. If they are smothering each various other under the warmth (not merely snuggling), you have to put some warmth. Home cleaning Tidiness is crucial as well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to change the bed linens frequently as well as constantly offer tidy food and water Food and water. Chicks grow quite fast which calls for plenty of tidy food and water. Offer sufficient in any way times and also inspect often to stop dehydrated and also hungry chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, and also it comes in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the initial two months, after that switch to a raiser food (~ 17 % protein) for one more 2 months, and then to a slightly reduced protein feed or a layer feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks like to obtain a running start on taking dirt bathrooms, while others won't take up that activity until they are older. If you have the room in your chick enclosure, present a tray of sand or filth for them to shower in. Interest and love There are a few advantages to hanging out with your chicks. Firstly, they will more than likely bond with you and not escape as adults. Second, if you examine your chicks daily and watch their habits, you could catch illness or various other problems earlier. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or other unhealthy indicators. Make sure to additionally consider their poop, as looseness of the bowels could bring about matted plumes and obstructed cloaca. Finally, it is important to keep an eye out for social concerns, such as the littlest chick getting picked on. Empty nest syndrome So your chicks are now completely feathery as well as its time for them to leave the safety and security of your residence and relocate outside into a cage. Have a look at our section on chicken cages to read more regarding cages and also appropriate cage habitats.Baby Chicks And Ducks Baby Chickens Under Heat Lamp
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