Baby Chickens for Sale in Lumberville, Pennsylvania
Baby Chickens for Sale in Lumberville, Pennsylvania
Things I Didn’t Know a Year Ago: Chicken Edition
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!
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Baby Chickens For Sale Online in Lumberville, Pennsylvania
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Lumberville 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. Lumberville Pennsylvania also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Lumberville 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 Lumberville PA.Baby Chickens Breeds in Lumberville, Pennsylvania
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Lumberville 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
Lumberville 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 Lumberville
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 Chickens in Lumberville, 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 Lumberville 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 Lumberville, Pennsylvania Baby chicks are really adorable and challenging to withstand, however it's ideal to plan for their arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially by collecting not just the correct products, but also the correct knowledge to care for them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably basic, you just have to offer them with the following: A tidy as well as warm environment Lots of food as well as water Focus as well as love Environment Your environment could be a basic box, fish tank, feline carrier, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as blankets (without loose strings!) to start, as well as after a couple of weeks use straw over newspaper. Note: Avoid using only newspaper or various other slipper surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand misshapen. You additionally require something to dish out food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water dish from the feed shop, or a pickle container cover for food and an animal bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Likewise, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch right into the habitat to obtain them educated on setting down. Warmth To keep your chicks warm you need to supply them with a warmth resource. This can be as straightforward as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth light bulb likewise work effectively (my referral). Chicks need this warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is replaced with feathers (which can take up to 2 months). The freshly hatched require a temperature level between 90 and also 100 degrees, and also every week this could be minimized by around 5 degrees approximately. The warmth resource ought to be on merely one side of the cage to permit chicks a range of temperatures. The chicks are your best thermostat- if they are hiding in the opposite corner of your warmth light, you have to minimize the temperature level. If they are smothering each other under the warmth (not simply curling up), you have to put some heat. Housekeeping Cleanliness is crucial and it keeps your chicks healthy and balanced. Be sure to alter the bed linen usually and also constantly provide tidy food and water Food as well as water. Chicks expand quite fast which calls for plenty of tidy food and also water. Give enough whatsoever times and also examine frequently to prevent parched and hungry chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the first 2 months, then switch to a raiser food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for an additional 2 months, and then to a slightly reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have layers). Soil Some chicks prefer to obtain a head start on taking dust baths, while others won't occupy that task up until they are older. If you have the room in your chick unit, present a tray of sand or filth for them to wash in. Interest and also love There are a couple of benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. To start with, they will certainly most likely bond with you and also not run away as adults. Second, if you examine your chicks daily and also see their habits, you can capture disease or other problems earlier. Keep an eye out for hissing, hopping, or various other harmful indications. Be sure to additionally take a look at their poop, as diarrhea can cause matted plumes and also blocked cloaca. Last but not least, it is important to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the littlest 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 home as well as move outside right into a cage. Take a look at our section on chicken cages for more information regarding cages as well as appropriate coop environments.Baby Chickens And Ducks Baby Chickens For Sale
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