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 For Sale in
Richland, Mississippi
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Richland Mississippi,
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. Richland
Mississippi also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Richland Mississippi, 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 Richland MS.
Baby Chicks Near Me in
Richland, Mississippi
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Richland Mississippi
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
Richland Mississippi * 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 Richland
Mississippi * 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 Breeds in
Richland, Mississippi
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
Richland Mississippi 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 Richland,
Mississippi Baby chicks are extremely
adorable and also
hard to stand up to,
yet it's finest to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first
by collecting not only the
proper products, but
likewise the proper
expertise to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
simple, you merely have to offer them with the following: A tidy and cozy
habitat Plenty of food and water Interest as well as
love Environment Your habitat can be a straightforward box, aquarium,
cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
coverings (without loosened
strings!) to begin, and also after a
couple of weeks use straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid making use of only
newspaper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand
misshapen. You also require
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle container
cover for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Additionally, as the chicks get
older you could introduce a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
educated on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you should
provide them with a heat resource.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb additionally work effectively (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can take up to two months). The freshly
hatched out require a temperature
between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and every week this could
be decreased by
approximately 5 degrees or
so. The heat resource must be on simply one side of the cage
to permit chicks a variety of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
contrary edge of your heat
light, you should
lower the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not simply cuddling),
you should put some heat.
Housekeeping
Sanitation is essential and it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to change
the bed linen
typically and also
always provide tidy
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks expand really quickly
which calls for a lot of tidy
food as well as water. Give
enough at all times and inspect
often to avoid thirsty as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, as well as it can be found in both medicated and non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, then
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for an additional 2 months,
and after that to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks want
to obtain a running start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others will not occupy that task up until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Attention as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending time with your chicks. Firstly, they will probably bond with you as well as
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
watch their actions, you could
catch disease or various
other problems previously. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, limping, or
other unhealthy
indicators. Make sure to
likewise consider
their poop, as diarrhea could result in matted feathers and obstructed cloaca.
Last but not least, it is important to watch out for social concerns, such as the
littlest chick getting picked
on. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are now completely feathery
as well as its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
and relocate outside right into a
coop. Look into our
section on chicken coops to read more
about coops and
appropriate cage environments.
Baby ChicksBaby Chickens Near Me More Posts Baby Chickens for Sale in Holly Ridge, Mississippi Baby Chickens for Sale in Crenshaw, Mississippi Baby Chickens for Sale in Diamondhead, Mississippi Baby Chickens for Sale in Paris, Mississippi Baby Chickens for Sale in Bailey, Mississippi