Baby Chickens for Sale in Dover, Pennsylvania
Baby Chickens for Sale in Dover, Pennsylvania
Backyard Chickens – Oh My!
We finally did it! We ordered our first chicks today to be delivered in February! I am super excited that we will finally have our own chickens and sooner or later have our own fresh eggs!
This is something that we have been planning for some years now. We will be raising these beauties right here on our .5 acre patch of land – ahem, yard. But that’s okay. You don’t need a lot of land to raise chickens and our fenced in back yard will provide plenty of space for them to range freely. My father so graciously gave us his brooder that he built when he had his chicks so we already have it ready for the sweet chicks when they arrive. We will begin building our coop next weekend and I will be sure to post a picture of it along with our baby chicks when they come in.
We ordered a variety of breeds. I wanted to have some that my father always had great success with and some that we have not had experience with yet but have been interested in and also have a reputation for being great egg layers. So the breeds we will have this round will be: Ameraucanas, Rhode Island Reds, Cuckoo Marans, Black Australorps, Black Star, Red Star, White Rock, Pearl White Leghorn, Buff Laced Polish, and Golden Laced Wyandotte.
With the different type of breeds we will have, we should have a beautiful variety of colored eggs with a mixture of different shades of brown, including a chocolate brown color, white, and pastel “easter colored” eggs as well. It will be nice to not have to buy our eggs anymore. Although, we have always bought our’s from other local farmers, there nothing better than really knowing where our eggs are coming from (right from our own backyard), knowing what they really are eating, and what kind of environment they really are in. We want our children to grow up knowing where their food really comes from and appreciate the beauty of growing and raising our own food as much as possible.
Because we live in the city, we are not getting any males (roosters) at this time. We do plan to eventually get some in the future, but for our neighbor’s sanity, we will stick with females for now. Roosters are supposed to make great hen protectors, so since we will not have any, I am hoping and praying that our dog, Precious, will take the role of protecting the hens. She has never been around chickens, but has been around many other animals (including kittens, etc.), and has always been very gentle with all of them. She has a very gentle, motherly, and protective type personality and we are hoping that we can help her understand what we expect of her as these chicks arrive. We will slowly introduce them to her and get her used to them before they actually start ranging freely in our yard. Our hopes and prayers are that the natural predatory instincts of dogs will not be the case for Precious with our chicks. I really don’t think it will be an issue with her and of course, we will be closely monitoring for a while. There are many dogs though that are great protectors of the family chickens and I’m sure Precious will be one of them.
Our younger boys are so excited to get our baby chicks and are already thinking up names for them. We have a lot of names to come up with and I told them it would be best to wait and see how each of their personalities and traits are before naming them. They agreed.
On top of the chicks we ordered, a friend of our’s is also giving us a couple eggs to put in an incubator so that we can try to hatch them. I think it will be a neat experience for the children to be able to watch happen and it will also make a great Science and Nature Study lesson! We should be getting the eggs sometime this week and I will post updates on the process.
So, here goes to raising chickens! I look forward to sharing this adventure with you and hope you will share your experiences too!
Baby Chicks On Sale in Dover, Pennsylvania
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Dover 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. Dover Pennsylvania also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Dover 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 Dover PA.Baby Chickens As Pets in Dover, Pennsylvania
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Dover 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
Dover 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 Dover
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 Chicks In A Box in Dover, 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 Dover 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 Dover, Pennsylvania Baby chicks are very cute as well as hard to withstand, yet it's ideal to plan for their arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first by gathering not only the appropriate products, however likewise the correct knowledge to care for them. Raising baby chicks is fairly easy, you simply have to supply them with the following: A tidy and warm habitat Lots of food as well as water Focus as well as love Environment Your habitat can be a simple box, aquarium, feline provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and also coverings (with no loosened strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks make use of straw over paper. Note: Avoid using only newspaper or various other slipper surfaces-- 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 dish from the feed store, or a pickle jar cover for food and an animal bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Also, as the chicks get older you could introduce a perch into the habitat to obtain them trained on setting down. Warmth To keep your chicks warm you have to offer them with a warmth source. This could be as straightforward as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb additionally function effectively (my recommendation). Chicks need this heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is changed with feathers (which can take up to 2 months). The newly hatched out require a temperature between 90 and 100 degrees, and each week this can be lowered by around 5 degrees or so. The heat source need to get on just one side of the cage to enable chicks a variety of temperature levels. The chicks are your best thermostat- if they are concealing in the opposite corner of your heat lamp, you have to reduce the temperature. If they are smothering each other under the heat (not just curling up), you need to put some heat. Home cleaning Cleanliness is crucial and also it maintains your chicks healthy and balanced. Be sure to transform the bed linen frequently as well as consistently provide tidy food and water Food and water. Chicks expand really fast which calls for lots of tidy food and water. Provide sufficient in any way times as well as inspect often to avoid thirsty and also starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and also it comes in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the initial 2 months, after that switch over to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for one more 2 months, and afterwards to a slightly reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking dirt baths, while others will not occupy that activity till they are older. If you have the space in your chick enclosure, present a tray of sand or dirt for them to bathe in. Interest and also love There are a few advantages to hanging out with your chicks. Firstly, they will more than likely bond with you and also not escape as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily as well as see their actions, you could capture ailment or various other troubles previously. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or various other undesirable signs. Be sure to also consider their poop, as diarrhea could cause matted feathers as well as obstructed cloaca. Finally, it is necessary to look out for social concerns, such as the littlest chick getting picked on. Vacant nest syndrome So your chicks are currently fully feathery and its time for them to leave the security of your house and also relocate outside into a coop. Check out our section on chicken coops to get more information concerning coops and proper cage habitats.Baby Chicks Food Baby Chickens By Mail
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