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Baby Chickens for Sale in Stony Point, North Carolina

Baby Chickens for Sale in Stony Point, North Carolina

Introducing chicks to your flock

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*This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small percentage if you make a purchase using the links, at no extra cost to you. I try to feature products useful & relevant to the posts, so hopefully you will find them helpful too! You get the supplies you need, I get some money for more chicken feed. Win, win!*

Getting can be such an exciting time!  You want to believe your older girls will accept the babies and be good “mother hens”, but this is not the case.  Your older flock is likely to not share your excitement about these new little pests eating their food and stealing their treats.  You need to ease the flock into accepting the chicks by giving them plenty of time to get used to the idea.  It’s important to keep the chicks safe because an adult chicken can easily kill a baby.  You should NOT try to introduce a single chick to your flock of older chickens.  You need to at least provide the new chick with one friendly face to run to.  If you only have one chick, she will become a target for bullies and the more she is bullied, the more others are likely to join in.

Wait until chicks are at a minimum 4 weeks old to begin introductions, but 6 weeks would be better.  The younger the chicks, the longer you are going to want to draw out the introduction period.  Ideally, by the time you mix the flocks permanently, the chicks will be bigger and fully feathered out (around 8-12 weeks).

The chicks will need an outdoor space next to the older flock, but separated by wire.  The idea is to let everyone see & smell each other, but they can not touch each other.  Our chicken run is permanently separated into two runs.  Most of the time, we leave the last panel open so the chickens can enjoy both sides.  But when we have chicks to introduce, we hang a roll of from nails at the top of the last section and just let the roll hang down closing the sides off.

In addition to outdoor space, you need to provide a secure place for the chicks to sleep.  that we can easily bring into the run when needed.

Alternately, you can also section off part of the main coop for the babies.

Don’t forget the for the babies, they will still need chick starter food until they are about 16-20 weeks old.  Let them live side by side but separated like this for at least two weeks, or until the younger chicks are around 8-12 weeks old.

When the chicks are big enough to join the main flock, try letting everyone out to free range together.  Free ranging gives the little ones room to run away from a bully and it is also more neutral ground so the older chickens might not feel so defensive about sharing it.

If free ranging goes alright, take down the partition in the run so during the day, the flocks can mingle in the run.  Continue to keep the chicks separated at night.  At this point, you are going to need to switch the entire flock over to the chick’s starter/growing feed.  See the bag for manufacturer’s age instructions, but generally a chick needs to be on starter/growing feed until about 16-20 weeks in age (when they get ready to lay their first egg).  Feeding chicks layer feed is very bad as their kidneys can’t process all the calcium.  So until the chicks are at laying age, everyone needs to be on chick feed.  It won’t hurt your big girls to be on chick feed, but they will need extra calcium for egg production. Providing a bowl of crushed oyster shells near the feed dish is a great supplement.

After about a week of daytime interacting it is time to fully mix the flocks! Remove the chick’s coop or take down the coop partition and keep your fingers crossed.  You will need to be on hand the first couple nights to make sure all the chicks find their way into the main coop at night, but hopefully they will just follow the older chickens in.

Keep an eye on things for the next week or so.  If any of the chickens is injured or bleeding, remove them immediately.  Keep the injured bird in isolation until she is healed.

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Baby Chickens for Sale in Stony Point 
NC

Baby Quail Chicks in Stony Point, North Carolina

We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Stony Point North Carolina, 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. Stony Point North Carolina also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Stony Point North Carolina, 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 Stony Point NC.

Baby Chickens On Sale in Stony Point, North Carolina

Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Stony Point North Carolina 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. Baby Chickens for Sale in Stony Point 
NCTypically 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 Stony Point North Carolina * 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 Stony Point North Carolina * 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 Online in Stony Point, North Carolina

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 Stony Point North Carolina 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 Stony Point, North Carolina Baby chicks are extremely cute as well as difficult to stand up to, however it's ideal to prepare for their arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first by gathering not just the appropriate products, however also the proper expertise to look after them. Raising baby chicks is fairly basic, you merely should supply them with the following: A tidy as well as cozy environment Plenty of food and water Interest and also love Environment Your habitat could be an easy box, aquarium, pet cat service provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as coverings (with no loosened strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks utilize straw over paper. Note: Avoid using only paper or various other sandal surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow malformed. You additionally require something to serve up food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water recipe from the feed store, or a pickle jar cover for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from a pet store. Also, as the chicks grow older you could present a perch right into the environment to obtain them trained on perching. Warmth To maintain your chicks heat you need to supply them with a warmth resource. This can be as simple as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth bulb likewise work extremely well (my suggestion). Chicks require this warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is changed with plumes (which can take up to two months). The recently hatched need a temperature level between 90 and 100 degrees, as well as every week this can be reduced by roughly 5 degrees or so. The heat source must get on merely one side of the cage to allow chicks an array of temperatures. The chicks are your ideal thermometer- if they are concealing in the contrary corner of your heat lamp, you need to lower the temperature level. If they are surrounding each various other under the heat (not simply cuddling), you have to add some heat. Housekeeping Sanitation is key and it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to transform the bedding commonly and always offer tidy food and water Food and water. Chicks grow very quick which requires a lot of tidy food and also water. Provide sufficient whatsoever times as well as check often to prevent dehydrated as well as starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the very first 2 months, then switch to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for one more 2 months, then to a slightly lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks want to get a head start on taking filth bathrooms, while others will not take up that task till they are older. If you have the area in your chick enclosure, present a tray of sand or dust for them to wash in. Focus as well as love There are a few benefits to hanging out with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly probably bond with you as well as not run away as grownups. Second, if you examine your chicks daily and watch their actions, you can capture health problem or other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or other unhealthy signs. Make sure to also take a look at their poop, as diarrhea could cause matted plumes as well as clogged cloaca. Last but not least, it is necessary to look out for social issues, such as the smallest chick getting teased. Empty nest syndrome So your chicks are now fully feathery and also its time for them to leave the security of your residence and relocate outside into a cage. Have a look at our part on chicken cages for more information concerning coops and proper coop environments.
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