The first time Neil mentioned an interest in raising meat chickens in our (suburban) backyard, I thought he was crazy. But he seemed so excited about it and made it sound so easy that I encouraged him to give it a try. He promised the “processing” wouldn’t happen at our house and the chickens would come back looking like they were from the supermarket. That was five years ago and we’ve raised them every year since. But what’s the appeal of backyard chickens?
It’s a ton of fun. Hoards of neighborhood kids visit the adorable baby peeps each year. It’s become a tradition for our playgroup to come and hold the fluffy yellow chicks. Thus it’s a fun, free activity we can share with .
It’s a great hobby. Everyone has hobbies. We like ours to be a.) inexpensive and b.) productive. So while there is some cost involved (see FAQ below), it’s money we’d have to spend on food anyway. And rather than golfing, joining a pool, or taking up other costly summer pastimes, raising chickens is a kid-friendly, educational, natural activity that produces a useful and healthy commodity. Hobbies that produce rather than drain resources are another angle to .
It’s a learning experience for our kids. Our 3-year-old says “Cows give us milk. Chickens give us chicken.” Not only does see where his food comes from, he learns that this is normal, not gross. Feeding the chickens is his morning chore, from which he learns responsibility and maybe a little empathy, too. Every morning he whined that he didn’t feel like feeding the chickens. (And every morning I didn’t feel like finding everyone’s socks and shoes to get outside right away.) But I always told him they relied on him for food, and what if I didn’t feel like feeding him breakfast? “Then I’d be hungry,” he’d say, and out he’d go without further fight. Once outside he really enjoyed feeding them. His little sister even mimicked him by carrying tiny buckets of food to their feeder. So cute!
Two years ago.
Quality control. Knowing where our food comes from, what they’ve eaten, and how they’ve been treated is a real advantage.
Like or , it’s also a way of connecting with nature and how food was raised in the past. Once we found the shoes and got out the door, we all enjoyed being outside first thing in the morning. Doing faux-farm chores is therapeutic for suburb-dwellers like us.
It’s a skill. Without being hard or technical, learning how to raise food is a useful skill to develop.
So that’s why we like it. Here are some FAQ on how it works:
Is it cheaper? The start-up costs made the first year’s chickens some rather pricey poultry ($40 for the chicken tractor materials, $40 for water and food dispensers). Since then we’ve only purchased the chicks, food and vitamins, and a heat lamp bulb, bringing our total cost for 13 birds to $83, or $6.38 a piece. At around 6-7 pounds each they are cheaper than chicken, and much less than we’d pay for fresh, organic, responsibly raised meat.
Do they taste better? It’s hard to compare to other fresh chicken since we never eat plain chicken. In my opinion they taste much better than frozen, solution-injected chicken. They are also more pleasant to cook with, as they lack the slimy feeling of typical supermarket poultry.
How much care do they need? The chickens spend 2-3 weeks in our garage with a heat light. This is the brooder stage. Neil makes a pen out of a discarded box and fills the bottom with pine shavings. Then we transfer them to a box in the backyard called a chicken tractor, which protects them from raccoons and other predators. It has no floor, so the chickens get an all you can eat salad and bug bar every day. We replenish their food and water and move the box to fresh grass each day. Their life span is 6-8 weeks, and during the last couple weeks they need food, water, and a box move twice a day (3x for water when it’s hot).
Chillin’ in the chicken tractor.
How are they processed? TMI alert: don’t read if you don’t want to know! Neil takes them to a friend’s farm where they use the modern, humane method of bleeding them out before they are dipped in scalding water and plucked using a mechanical plucker. Then their organs, neck, and feet are removed, and Voila! They look like they came from the store.
Is it legal? Our city allows all farm animals, and another family on our street has them, too.
What type of box do they need? Neil built a 4’ x 8’ box out of 2” x 4” boards, reinforced in the corners with 1” x 3” boards, to keep it light and mobile without adding wheels. It’s constructed from the cheapest wood you can buy, and scraps. Fits no more than a baker’s dozen of birds.
Do they smell? My baby’s poop smells way worse than theirs. I can’t detect the scent unless I’m moving the box, and it really isn’t offensive. And that’s coming from a super-smeller who can hardly stand Neil if he eats too much garlic.
Neil adds: We buy all roosters because they are cheaper. They come in the mail… the regular USPS mail, in a box, it’s hilarious. They don’t lay eggs because they are male and they wouldn’t anyway because in 6-8 weeks they don’t reach maturity to do so. Layers are a whole different game. Ours crow at the end of the 8 weeks but it’s a pathetic teenager crow. If you want more information to get started, get this book from the library:
Would you consider raising backyard chickens? Any questions for us?
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Baby Chicks
Breeds in
Aston, Pennsylvania
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Aston Pennsylvania,
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. Aston
Pennsylvania also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Aston Pennsylvania, 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 Aston PA.
Baby Chickens In
The Mail in
Aston, Pennsylvania
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Aston Pennsylvania
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
Aston Pennsylvania * 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 Aston
Pennsylvania * 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 Quail Chicks in
Aston, Pennsylvania
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
Aston Pennsylvania 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 Aston,
Pennsylvania Baby chicks are very
cute and also
challenging to stand up to,
but it's best to prepare for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first
by compiling not just the
correct products, but
additionally the appropriate
knowledge to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
easy, you simply should give them with the following: A tidy and also warm and comfortable
habitat Plenty of food as well
as water Interest and also
love Habitat Your environment could be a
simple box, aquarium,
pet cat carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (with no loosened
strings!) to start, and after a
couple of weeks utilize straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing just
newspaper or other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
misshapen. You additionally need
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food as well as a family
pet bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you could present a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
trained on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you need to
give them with a heat resource.
This can be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb likewise work effectively (my
suggestion). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can use
up to 2 months). The recently
hatched out need a temperature
between 90 and also 100 levels,
as well as each week this could
be lowered by
about 5 degrees or
so. The heat source need to be on simply one side of the cage
to enable chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
contrary corner of your warmth
light, you have to
minimize the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
warmth (not merely cuddling),
you should put some heat.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is vital and also it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to transform
the bed linen
often and also
consistently give clean
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks expand really fast
which requires lots of clean
food as well as water. Give
enough whatsoever times and check
usually to avoid dehydrated and
hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared
to adult chicken food, and it is available in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for an additional 2 months,
and after that to a slightly
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks want
to get a running start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others won't occupy that task till they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to bathe in.
Focus and also love There are a
few advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly probably bond with you and
not escape as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and also
watch their behavior, you can
catch disease or various
other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
other harmful
indications. Be sure to
additionally take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea could bring about matted plumes as well
as stopped up cloaca.
Lastly, it is very
important to watch out for social concerns, such as the
tiniest chick getting picked
on. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently fully feathered
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety of your house
and relocate outside right into a cage. Check out our
part on chicken coops to find out
more
concerning coops as well as
proper cage environments.
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