Baby Chickens for Sale in Holtwood, Pennsylvania
Baby Chickens for Sale in Holtwood, Pennsylvania
Backyard Chickens: Baby Chicks!
Our new chicks (from left) Cruella, Susie and Phyllis.
There are few things as exciting for owners of backyard chickens as getting new chicks. They are just so cute and fuzzy. We picked up our little girls on Tuesday, January 29 from the breeder we bought Zsa Zsa from. This time we had some complications with our chicks. In the first few weeks we wound up losing two of the four chicks to what appeared to be cocci. Following is a bit of information about our two survivors and some lessons learned.
This is Susie (Susan B. Anthony) our blue cochin who will be large and silver.
My wife can come up with some clever names. Our Blue Cochin will grow into a very large blue/silver colored chicken. She is the largest of our chicks and is probably between 1-2 weeks old. She has a very loud chirp. She was loud enough that she woke me up overnight with her chirping. You will notice that she is feathered down her legs. This is a unique trait of the Cochin breed of chickens.
Cochins grow into large, fluffy chickens. Most of them weight 8-10lbs and look like they weigh about 20lbs with all their feathers. They are a very friendly breed and like to play mother hen, sitting on any eggs they find. The Cochin variety of bird lays approximately 3-4 eggs a week. The eggs are a creamy brown color. Cochins became world famous when a Chinese delegation gave some Cochins to Queen Victoria of England, who adored these chickens. They have been in America since around 1850 and are known to be especially friendly, although our chick is the bully of the brooding box
Our Gold Laced Polish chick – we named her Joan McHENzie since she is going to look a lot like me.
We also have a Gold Laced Polish chick. This chick will grow into a friendly, unique looking hen. She will have a fluff of feather on her head that will be gold, black and brown. Polish chicks do really well in the heat. They lay a small to medium white egg.
The two chicks we lost were a White Crested Black Polish that would have been a beautiful bird. We also lost a Silver Polish. All the chicks were inoculated against cocci but wound up getting sick and the symptoms were amazingly similar to cocci. When chicks have been inoculated against cocci they are usually fed non-medicated feed. After we lost our first two chicks I went ahead and switched to medicated feed and haven’t had a problem since. The only reason I could find for the non-medicated feed was that it was a waste of money since they had already been treated for this issue. Here are the two chicks we lost, and the names we came up with:
Our extra chick – a Silver Polish named Phyllis.
Cruella Deville, our White Crested Black Polish chicken.
We keep our chicks in the house when they are young. They hang out in the office in a breeding box that I made. They sleep for the first few days because they have been through A LOT! Chicks are shipped via express shipping to breeders and individuals in special boxes. Our breeder had at least 100 chicks in her garage. The extra travel to our house puts a bit more strain on them and they need to rest, eat and drink.
Chicks stay under a heat source that keeps the temperature in that portion of the box between 95-98 degrees. They are good about moving themselves around the box to regulate their temperature. They eat a special form of starter feed that is crumbled and easy to digest.
Getting to know the chicks.
In 1-2 weeks the chicks will start to pop out some feathers. They will begin those awkward weeks when they look like teenagers going through puberty. Frankly they are pretty ugly when they are pullets. Once they have fully feathered out and temps warm up outside, they will be introduced to the big chickens in the coop. I will let the young pullets out in the kennel portion of the coop so they are protected but not in with the big chickens. They can look at each other and get used to each other. Slowly they will be introduced to each other. We’ve never had a real problem with chickens get along since we tend to buy friendly breeds.
A lot of people ask how much chicks cost. If you already have all the gear (coop, brooding box, feeder, water, heat lamp) or can borrow it, the cost is pretty low. These unique chicks cost $18 all together. Their starter feed runs about $10. There are cleaning costs too…
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Baby Chickens For Sale Online in Holtwood, Pennsylvania
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Holtwood 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. Holtwood Pennsylvania also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Holtwood 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 Holtwood PA.Baby Chickens Outside in Holtwood, Pennsylvania
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Holtwood 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
Holtwood 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 Holtwood
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 The Mail in Holtwood, 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 Holtwood 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 Holtwood, Pennsylvania Baby chicks are quite charming and tough to withstand, however it's finest to plan for their arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially by compiling not only the correct materials, but additionally the appropriate expertise to care for them. Raising baby chicks is fairly simple, you simply need to provide them with the following: A clean and also cozy environment Plenty of food and also water Attention and also love Habitat Your environment could be a simple box, fish tank, feline provider, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as coverings (without any loose strings!) to begin, and also after a couple of weeks utilize straw over newspaper. Keep in mind: Avoid using only newspaper or other slipper surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow misshapen. You additionally need something to dish out food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water meal from the feed shop, or a pickle jar lid for food as well as an animal bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you can introduce a perch right into the environment to get them educated on perching. Heat To maintain your chicks warm you need to give them with a heat resource. This can be as straightforward as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth bulb likewise function effectively (my suggestion). Chicks require this warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is changed with feathers (which could occupy to two months). The freshly hatched need a temperature in between 90 as well as 100 degrees, as well as each week this could be decreased by about 5 levels or so. The warmth resource should be on merely one side of the cage to enable chicks an array of temperatures. The chicks are your ideal thermometer- if they are concealing in the opposite edge of your warmth lamp, you need to decrease the temperature level. If they are smothering each other under the warmth (not simply snuggling), you need to put some heat. House cleaning Sanitation is key and also it keeps your chicks healthy and balanced. Make certain to transform the bed linens often and also consistently supply clean food and water Food and also water. Chicks expand very fast which requires lots of tidy food and water. Give sufficient at all times as well as inspect often to prevent thirsty and hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared to grown-up chicken food, and 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 % healthy protein) for one more 2 months, and then to a slightly reduced protein feed or a level feed (if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks want to obtain a running start on taking dirt bathrooms, while others will not use up that task up until they are older. If you have the area in your chick unit, introduce a tray of sand or dust for them to bathe in. Interest and also love There are a few benefits to spending time with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly more than likely bond with you and also not run away as grownups. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and also see their actions, you could catch disease or other issues previously. Keep an eye out for wheezing, hopping, or other undesirable indicators. Make sure to additionally look at their poop, as diarrhea could bring about matted feathers and obstructed cloaca. Lastly, it is very important to watch out for social issues, such as the littlest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest syndrome So your chicks are now fully feathered and also its time for them to leave the safety of your residence and move outside into a coop. Have a look at our part on chicken cages to read more concerning coops as well as proper cage environments.Baby Chickens Under Heat Lamp Raising Baby Chickens
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