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 Chicks Baby
Chickens in
Wolf Creek, Oregon
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Wolf Creek Oregon,
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. Wolf Creek
Oregon also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Wolf Creek Oregon, 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 Wolf Creek OR.
Baby Chicks Needs in
Wolf Creek, Oregon
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Wolf Creek Oregon
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
Wolf Creek Oregon * 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 Wolf Creek
Oregon * 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.
Feeding Baby Quail Chicks in
Wolf Creek, Oregon
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
Wolf Creek Oregon 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 Wolf Creek,
Oregon Baby chicks are quite
adorable and
hard to stand up to,
however it's best to prepare for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare first
by gathering not only the
right materials, however
likewise the correct
expertise to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
simple, you merely have to give them with the following: A tidy and also warm and comfortable
habitat Lots of food as well
as water Interest and also
love Habitat Your environment could be an easy box, aquarium,
pet cat carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
blankets (without any loose
strings!) to begin, and after a few weeks use straw over paper.
Note: Avoid utilizing only
newspaper or other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
malformed. You additionally require
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
lid for food as well as an animal bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Also, as the chicks get
older you could introduce a perch
into the environment to get them
trained on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you have to
offer them with a heat resource.
This could be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb also function effectively (my
referral). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which could occupy to 2 months). The freshly
hatched out require a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and each week this could
be lowered by
around 5 levels or
so. The warmth source should get on just one side of the cage
to permit chicks a variety of
temperatures. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
other corner of your heat
light, you need to
decrease the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
warmth (not simply cuddling),
you need to add some warmth.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is key as
well as it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to transform
the bed linens
typically and
constantly offer clean
food and also water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand extremely fast
which needs lots of tidy
food as well as water. Supply
enough whatsoever times and inspect
frequently to prevent parched as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
very first two months, then
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for an additional 2 months,
then to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
filth bathrooms, while others will not take
up that task up until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to shower in.
Attention as well as love There are a
few advantages to spending time with your chicks. To start
with, they will probably bond with you and also
not escape as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
enjoy their behavior, you could
catch ailment or other issues earlier. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
various other harmful
indications. Make certain to
likewise take a look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can result in matted feathers as well
as stopped up cloaca.
Finally, it is essential to look out
for social issues, such as the
littlest chick obtaining teased. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your house
and also move outside into a
coop. Look into our
part on chicken coops to get more information
regarding coops as well as
correct cage environments.
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