Baby Chickens for Sale in Bayard, Nebraska
Baby Chickens for Sale in Bayard, Nebraska
Chickens Should Come With Warning Labels
Two years ago, Adam and I began to discuss having backyard chickens.
We read a lot, watched a lot of YouTube videos, and learned so much.
A couple of the reasons that we finally decided to give it a go were that their composted droppings are great for gardens and that they are pretty easy to take care of.
We have found both of those reasons to be very true.
However, we also have learned a lot since owning our little flock of hens that we never found in our research.
Based on what I have learned as the owner of backyard chickens, I have decided that backyard chickens need to come with Warning Labels.
If you are thinking of getting chickens or already have baby chicks… prepare yourself.
Photo by Hive and Honey Photography
Warning #1: People will think you have gone insane.
We have had people have no problem telling us everything from “Eww, what about the poop?” To “Why work so hard?” To, plain and simple, “You are making a huge mistake.”
(I mean… What if people said these things about babies??)
And that’s from the people in the country… People who have actually seen a chicken outside of a petting zoo or a kitchen decoration.
Where I grew up, the HOA allowed only two dogs and two cats per household. Max. Chickens were not a topic of discussion.
Just imagine what the people I grew up with must think if they have heard that over fifty chickens have called my backyard home at one time.
In-sane.
Warning #2: You may be the sweetest person on the planet, but you will become incredibly stuck up.
No one really talks about it, but I think it’s very common for owners of backyard chickens to suffer from a phenomenon called “egg snobbery.”
On your business trip you will cringe at the site of the scrambled eggs made from egg beaters at the hotel’s very generic continental breakfast.
You will turn up your nose as you walk down the egg aisle at the grocery store knowing that your eggs at home are far superior.
And, when someone Instagrams a shot of their homemade brunch with two very sad sunny side up eggs with shapeless and dull colored yolks you will smirk and say sarcastically to yourself, “That’s cute…”
Warning #3: You will also become a paranoid freak.
I don’t have children, but, thanks to the chickens, I have gotten a sneak peak of what parenthood is all about.
Spoiler Alert: It’s a 24/7/365 anxiety attack.
Any threat of bad weather, be it extreme cold, snow, high winds, tornadoes, extreme heat, whatever, my mind goes to the hens… and that they are going to die.
Any dog, cat, raccoon, and owl within a two mile radius of the coop is the enemy.
I am sorry. I don’t care how cute your dog is. I probably hate it until I know that it doesn’t think my sweet hens are a chew toy.
PS- Just today I heard on the radio that a six foot boa constrictor escaped from it’s cage and is on the loose somewhere in the local listening area.
You guys... HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THIS!?!?
Warning #4: Anything pop culture will suddenly become very uninteresting.
That check you write to the cable company each month will seem like a huge waste.
You haven’t been Keeping Up with the Kardashian’s… You have been Keeping Up with the Chickens.
The day you bring them home you will begin to see each chicken’s unique personality.
And as they grow, you would rather spend your time watching them roam the yard than watch that movie getting Oscar Buzz. The movie could be a flop. But, watching the chickens you might catch that hilarious moment when one might slurp up a huge worm like a piece of spaghetti and the others come rushing over in a fit of jealousy. Somebody call the Academy!
Oh. And, you will post things like this on Facebook and it will be 100% true:
Warning #5: Once you get that first chick, you will be a chicken owner the rest of your life.
Admittedly, I have never been a huge fan of animals.
In fact, as a kid, animals made me kind of nervous.
My uncle loves to tell the story of when I was a toddler… my foot was dangling by my moms hip as she held me and his weimaraner licked my foot. I apparently screamed like bloody murder and was convinced that the dog bit me.
(To my credit, a weimaraner to a three year old might as well be a fierce looking horse.)
As an adult, and thanks to a fabulous (thirty pound…) family dog in my childhood, I have warmed up to animals.
I am really excited for the day that we get a dog. And I understand that to make Adam happy this dog will be larger than thirty pounds… and I am okay with that.
Because we have enjoyed our dabbles in homesteading, we have been talking about getting a couple cows and even pigs just to give it a try.
Dogs will likely come and go, depending on our future children wants, and we may find other kinds of livestock exhausting.
But, thanks to the wonderful eggs…
The funny way the ladies interact with one another…
The way it feels like they are able to almost communicate with Adam and me when we are in the garden…
The pure joy in any of our friend’s kids faces when they are chasing the hens…
The joy that I cannot wait to see in my own children… and grandchildren’s faces…
I know that for the rest of my life, I will be the proud owner of a flock of backyard chickens.
Photo by Hive and Honey Photography
You have been warned.
Baby Chicks In A Box in Bayard, Nebraska
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Bayard Nebraska, 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. Bayard Nebraska also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Bayard Nebraska, 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 Bayard NE.Baby Chickens Male Or Female in Bayard, Nebraska
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Bayard Nebraska 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
Bayard Nebraska * 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 Bayard
Nebraska * 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 Bayard, Nebraska
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 Bayard Nebraska 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 Bayard, Nebraska Baby chicks are really adorable and also tough to stand up to, yet it's finest to prepare for their arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially by compiling not only the correct materials, yet additionally the appropriate expertise to take care of them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably basic, you just need to provide them with the following: A clean and also warm and comfortable habitat A lot of food as well as water Attention as well as love Habitat Your environment can be a straightforward box, aquarium, cat service provider, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as coverings (without any loose strings!) to begin, and after a couple of weeks use straw over paper. Note: Avoid making use of just newspaper or various other sandal surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow misshapen. You additionally require something to serve up food and also water in, such as a chicken feeder and water dish from the feed shop, or a pickle container lid for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Additionally, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch right into the habitat to get them educated on perching. Heat To maintain your chicks warm you have to offer them with a heat resource. This could be as straightforward as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from a hardware shop, or an infrared reptile heat bulb additionally function extremely well (my referral). Chicks need this heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is changed with feathers (which could occupy to two months). The recently hatched require a temperature level between 90 as well as 100 degrees, and also every week this could be lowered by roughly 5 levels approximately. The warmth source need to get on merely one side of the cage to enable chicks an array of temperatures. The chicks are your ideal thermostat- if they are concealing in the other corner of your heat lamp, you have to reduce the temperature. If they are surrounding each various other under the warmth (not just curling up), you should put some heat. Housekeeping Sanitation is vital and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to transform the bedding often as well as always give tidy food as well as water Food and water. Chicks grow really quick which needs lots of tidy food as well as water. Provide enough whatsoever times as well as examine typically to stop parched as well as starving chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, as well as it comes in both medicated and non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the first two months, then change to a raiser food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for another 2 months, and afterwards to a slightly lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks want to get a head start on taking dust baths, while others will not use up that task till they are older. If you have the space in your chick unit, present a tray of sand or dust for them to bathe in. Interest as well as love There are a couple of advantages to hanging out with your chicks. To start with, they will most likely bond with you as well as not run away as grownups. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily as well as watch their behavior, you could catch illness or various other troubles previously. Watch out for hissing, hopping, or various other unhealthy indications. Make sure to also consider their poop, as diarrhea can lead to matted feathers as well as obstructed cloaca. Finally, it is essential to watch out for social problems, such as the smallest chick obtaining badgered. Empty nest disorder So your chicks are currently completely feathered and its time for them to leave the security of your house and also move outside into a cage. Look into our section on chicken cages to read more concerning coops as well as proper coop environments.Baby Chickens Raising Baby Chicks Outside With Heat Lamp
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