Recently, with the prices of food rising, especially eggs, we decided that we wanted to make a concentrated effort to raise chickens. I have never had the opportunity to interact with chickens other than in grade school when we hatched baby chickens in incubators, so I knew this would have a steep learning curve. After scouring the internet for sites on the different breeds of chickens, we were pleased to discover which had fairly good descriptions and accompanying pictures.
We decided on four different breeds:
1) Brahma:
2) Delaware:
3) Barred Rock:
and one we’re not sure of. We were told she was a Rhode Island Red (), but now we’re assuming she’s an
4) Ameraucana:
We purchased them at 2 weeks old and they’re about 3 months now. One thing I was not prepared for is that each hen has her own personality and quirks, not unlike a puppy. They are curious about everything and always come up to greet us. We decided to not invest in a rooster since our neighbors are relatively close and our alarm clocks are more than adequate.
Besides eggs and meat, another great benefit to having chickens is that their waste can be composted and used as fertilizer. Since they eat practically anything, they also make great food scrap disposals too!
If any of you decide to acquire your own flock of chickens be certain to buy or build your chicken coup first. Chickens grow amazingly fast and before you know it, they will have outgrown their temporary living arrangements. We decided to build our own coup and let me tell you, they take up a great deal of time. We ended up building a 6′ x 6′ base, covered the floor with linoleum, complete with a triangular based roof of which one side “hatches” open for easy cleaning. The whole coup is on wooden stilts attached to concrete slabs which anchor it to the ground. The chicken door opens up into a large chicken run. Our design was pieced together from several other coup designs that others have posted on the internet.
Have you had experiences with chickens? If so, feel free to comment and share.
Barred Rock and a "We're Not Quite Sure" Hen
Baby
Chickens Hatchery in
Camillus, New York
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Camillus New York,
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. Camillus
New York also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Camillus New York, 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 Camillus NY.
Baby Chicks Online in
Camillus, New York
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Camillus New York
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
Camillus New York * 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 Camillus
New York * 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 Buy in
Camillus, New York
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
Camillus New York 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 Camillus,
New York Baby chicks are extremely
charming and also
challenging to resist,
however it's best to plan for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially
by collecting not just the
proper materials, however
likewise the appropriate
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
straightforward, you just should supply them with the following: A
clean and also warm
habitat Plenty of food and water Focus as well as
love Environment Your habitat can be a
simple box, aquarium,
pet cat carrier, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (with no loose
strings!) to begin, as well as after a
couple of weeks use straw over paper.
Note: Avoid making use of only
newspaper or various other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You likewise require
something to dish out food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food and an animal bird water dispenser from an animal store. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you can present a perch
right into the environment to obtain them
trained on setting down. Warmth To
keep your chicks heat you have to
offer them with a heat source.
This can be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb also work extremely well (my
recommendation). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which could occupy to two months). The recently
hatched need a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 levels,
and also each week this can
be reduced by
approximately 5 degrees or
so. The heat resource need to be on merely one side of the cage
to allow chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your ideal
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
contrary edge of your heat
lamp, you need to
lower the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
warmth (not merely snuggling),
you should put some heat.
Housekeeping
Tidiness is essential and it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to transform
the bed linen
commonly as well as
always give tidy
food and also water Food and water.
Chicks expand quite quick
which calls for plenty of tidy
food and water. Provide
sufficient at all times and examine
often to
stop dehydrated as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated and
also non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
then to a slightly
lower protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
filth baths, while others won't use up that activity till they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to shower in.
Focus and love There are a couple of benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. To start
with, they will most
likely bond with you as well as
not run away as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
view their behavior, you could
capture health problem or various
other problems previously. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, hopping, or
other unhealthy
signs. Make sure to
also check out
their poop, as diarrhea could cause matted feathers and also clogged cloaca.
Last but not least, it is very
important to watch out for social issues, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining teased. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are currently completely feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
as well as move outside right into a
coop. Check out our
section on chicken coops to find out
more
regarding coops as well as
correct coop habitats.
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