Baby Chickens for Sale in Balfour, North Dakota
Baby Chickens for Sale in Balfour, North Dakota
Why You Should Not Keep Backyard Chickens
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I would recommend backyard chickens to almost anyone. Keeping chickens this past year has been a fun and educational experience for my whole family. We have brought our chickens to the local elementary school for their harvest fair and had our daughters pre-school class come to visit. Lots of friends have come over to see our set-up, and now two of them have chicks of their own.
However, I don’t think backyard chickens are for everyone. Just like I don’t think dogs or cats are for everyone. Many people get animals thinking they are cute or fun or whatever and then realize that they are a lot of work. That is how so many animals end up abandoned or in shelters. So now I’m going to share the “down-side” of keeping chickens just to make sure that everyone knows what they are getting themselves into. Obviously these weren’t big enough cons to keep me from having chickens, but to some people they might be. I prefer that people know what they are getting themselves into rather than abandon or mistreat an animal.
- The cute fluffy chicks that arrive need an extreme amount of care and knowledge to keep them healthy. You need to keep them warm (but not too warm), you need to feed them special food, make sure their butts don’t paste up with droppings (fatal), make sure they don’t drown in their water dish, etc. etc. etc.
- Chicks are cute and fluffy for about 2 weeks. They start getting their feathers in in about a week and turn into very awkward looking teenagers. It’s amazing how quickly they look like chickens and not babies.
- Chickens are very social animals, so they need friends. In other words, you can’t just get one chicken or it will be depressed and lonely.
- Chickens don’t like being confined in a small space. They can get bored, which leads to gruesome acts such as feather picking (Where they pull feathers out of their companions). Ouch. Once they see blood, they pick even more, which can actually lead to cannibalism.
- Chickens need special diets for different stages of their lives. If they don’t get the proper, balanced nutrition they might have problems with feathers breaking off, or eggs coming out with soft shells (or no shells!)
- Chickens like to scratch and peck. If you let them out in your yard they will turn a small bare spot into a big, bare spot. They like to dig into the dirt and take dust baths.
- Chickens like to eat greens. That means not only grass, but also the lettuce you planted, the unripe blueberries you are waiting to eat, the ferns you just planted. You get the picture. They are like small goats. Almost anything is considered food.
- You need to check on your chickens every day. In the summer you need to make sure they have plenty of water and that they aren’t overheating. In the winter you need to make sure their water hasn’t frozen. In the rain you still need to check on them.
- Chickens like to eat chicken eggs also. If you don’t gather your eggs every day, the chicken might accidentally break one. As I mentioned above, chickens like to eat just about everything, so they will try the broken egg. That is the point where they decide they love the taste. You now have an egg-eater, who will deliberately break eggs to eat. When you go on vacation, you will need to find someone to gather eggs every day to prevent this from happening.
- Bird droppings smell. You will have to clean out the coop regularly to keep the ammonia from building up. Ammonia is bad for the birds to breathe and it is bad for us to smell. Droppings will attract flies and will repel your friends. Chickens can’t control their bowels like cats and dogs, so you could get hit at any time.
- Chickens are prone to getting parasites. Whether you introduce a new bird that has lice, or wild birds with mites fly into your yard, you will inevitably have to battle external parasites. I am in the middle of this battle and it is no fun! You have to scrub down the coop, spray or dust in every crevice and spray or dust your birds. I will make a post soon about this episode of our chickens lives. Parasites can kill your bird, so you have to deal with them. I just put my girls in a warm bath and cleaned the caked-on poop off their butt feathers yesterday. Make sure you are willing to do this! In case I’m not conveying how gross this is, you can see egg clusters around the base of feathers, scabs on your chickens butts and poop from the mites stuck in their feathers.
- Chickens lay eggs reliably for about 2-3 years. Chickens can live for about 10 years. What are you going to do with an old chicken that doesn’t lay anymore?
- Chickens are pretty delicate animals and can get sick. There are not many vets who take chickens. Are you willing/able to diagnose what’s wrong with your chicken? Will you be able to massage an egg out of your hen if it is stuck? Would you feed your chicken with an eye dropper if it stopped eating? Would you be able to humanely kill your chicken if it got mauled by a predator? Again, most vets won’t take chickens, even to put them down.
- Chickens need a safe and secure henhouse. You need to be able to keep your hens warm in the winter, cool in the summer. Animals such as raccoons, hawks, opossums, foxes and dogs should not be able to get into their run or coop.
- Chicken feed can attract rodents. I don’t think I need to elaborate on that one.
Have I lost you yet? Why would anyone be crazy enough to keep a chicken?? I think if you weighed many things in life you would find many cons to counter the pros. I can think of about 9,999 reasons not to have a baby, but I wouldn’t trade my kid for the world.
I love keeping chickens and to me they are more than worth any work they give me. Please make sure the same is true with you before you order some cute, fluffy chicks.
Baby Chicks Home in Balfour, North Dakota
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Balfour North Dakota, 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. Balfour North Dakota also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Balfour North Dakota, 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 Balfour ND.Baby Chicks Information in Balfour, North Dakota
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Balfour North Dakota 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
Balfour North Dakota * 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 Balfour
North Dakota * 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 The Mail in Balfour, North Dakota
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 Balfour North Dakota 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 Balfour, North Dakota Baby chicks are really adorable and challenging to stand up to, yet it's ideal to plan for their arrival before you get them. Prepare initially by compiling not just the proper materials, however additionally the proper expertise to care for them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably easy, you merely should provide them with the following: A tidy and warm habitat Plenty of food and also water Attention 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 (without loose strings!) to start, as well as after a couple of weeks make use of straw over newspaper. Note: Avoid making use of just newspaper or various other slipper surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow misshapen. You additionally require something to provide food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar cover for food and a pet bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Additionally, as the chicks age you can present a perch into the environment to obtain them educated on setting down. Heat To maintain your chicks heat you should give them with a warmth resource. This could be as simple as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from a hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth bulb likewise work very well (my recommendation). Chicks require this warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is changed with plumes (which could occupy to two months). The newly hatched need a temperature in between 90 as well as 100 levels, as well as every week this could be lowered by around 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource should be on simply one side of the cage to permit chicks a range of temperature levels. The chicks are your best thermostat- if they are concealing in the contrary corner of your warmth light, you need to decrease the temperature. If they are surrounding each other under the heat (not merely curling up), you should add some warmth. Housekeeping Cleanliness is crucial and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Be sure to change the bedding typically as well as always offer tidy food as well as water Food and also water. Chicks expand extremely fast which requires lots of clean food and water. Give sufficient at all times as well as check commonly to stop dehydrated and also hungry chicks. Chick food is different compared to grown-up chicken food, as well as it can be found in both medicated and non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the very first two months, after that switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for another 2 months, and after that to a slightly lower healthy protein feed or a level feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks want to get a running start on taking filth bathrooms, while others will not use up that task until they are older. If you have the room in your chick room, introduce a tray of sand or filth for them to bathe in. Attention and also love There are a few advantages to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will more than likely bond with you and also not escape as grownups. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily as well as view their habits, you could capture ailment or other issues earlier. Keep an eye out for hissing, hopping, or various other unhealthy signs. Make certain to likewise take a look at their poop, as looseness of the bowels can bring about matted feathers as well as clogged up cloaca. Lastly, it is necessary to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the tiniest chick getting teased. Empty nest disorder So your chicks are currently totally feathered and its time for them to leave the security of your house and move outside right into a coop. Look into our part on chicken cages to learn more regarding coops as well as correct coop environments.Baby Chickens Hatching Baby Chicks By Mail
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