Things No One Told You About Raising Baby Chicks On The Homestead
There are as many ways and opinions about how to raise chickens as there are chicken breeds. It is amazing at how passionate people are about their chickens and how they raise them. As the little chicks develop you can literally see them changing day to day. One day they had no wing feathers, and the next day they had visibly sprouted. Merissa over at shares raising baby chickens – a beginners guide to baby chicken care.
Raising Baby Chickens & Baby Chicken Care
Who can resist this cute little fuzzy baby chickens at the local farm supply store? They look so sweet and innocent and are just begging for you to take them home.
Even though having raising baby chickens seems easy enough (feed water = happy chickens!), it’s a little more complicated than it appears. Thankfully once you have a few tips and tricks under your belt it will be a breeze and your birds will stay happy and healthy and become the nice, producing flock you hope they will be.
I’ve raised chickens for many many years. When I was little we would have so much fun heading to the feed store and picking out our special birds that we would raise for the 4-H Achievement Days. Then we would spend weeks obsessing over our little birds and watching them as they slowly outgrew their fuzz and gain lovely feathers in all different colors. Of course, not every batch of birds turned out perfectly and there were many bumps along the way, but hopefully you will learn from our mistakes!
Let’s start in the beginning with that trip to the feed store. Most feed stores carry the basic breeds that will grow to be healthy meat and laying birds. You can check out . If you want to raise birds for laying eggs, make sure to get pullets (hens), if you don’t care as much or are raising birds for butchering, you can stick with the cheaper straight run. I’ve personally had one too many roosters chase me across the yard so I stick with all pullets. *Remember, there is always a chance that you may have some roosters, even in a pullet bunch…sexing chickens isn’t always accurate when they are so young.
Tip! Ask your feed store what day they get chickens in from their source and come pick out your birds a few days later. That way you know the birds made it through the shock of being transported and have a higher chance of being healthy.
While you are at the feed store, make sure to pick up several items. You will need a feeder, a waterer, chick starter, wood shavings, and a heat lamp set up. You will also need some kind of rubber or plastic tub if you don’t have one. A plastic tote works well for a small batch of birds, as does a rubber animal waterer. If there is someone around to help you, you can also ask them about baby chicken care, especially if you are getting a specialty breed.
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Baby
Chicks Information in
Lurgan, Pennsylvania
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Lurgan 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. Lurgan
Pennsylvania also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Lurgan 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 Lurgan PA.
Baby Chickens 101 in
Lurgan, Pennsylvania
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Lurgan 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
Lurgan 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 Lurgan
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 And
Ducks in
Lurgan, 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
Lurgan 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 Lurgan,
Pennsylvania Baby chicks are quite
charming and also
tough to stand up to,
but it's ideal to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare initially
by compiling not just the
proper products, but
additionally the proper
expertise to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
basic, you just need
to offer them with the following: A
clean as well as warm
environment Lots of food and also water Interest and
love Environment Your habitat can be an easy box, aquarium,
cat service provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (without any loosened
strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks utilize straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing only
paper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
misshapen. You additionally require
something to serve up food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
dish from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
cover for food and a family
pet bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks get
older you could present a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks warm you need to
give them with a warmth resource.
This can be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb likewise function extremely well (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can use
up to 2 months). The recently
hatched need a temperature level
in between 90 and 100 levels,
and also each week this can
be lowered by
about 5 levels approximately. The heat source must be on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
other corner of your warmth
lamp, you should
decrease the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
heat (not simply cuddling),
you should include some warmth.
Housekeeping
Tidiness is essential and also it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to transform
the bed linens
typically as well as
always offer tidy
food and water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow really quick
which requires a lot of tidy
food and water. Supply
sufficient in any way times as well
as check
often to avoid dehydrated and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first two months, then
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
and then to a slightly
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking
dirt baths, while others won't take
up that task up until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
unit, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Attention as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. To start
with, they will more than likely bond with you and
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
see their habits, you can
capture disease or other troubles earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
other harmful
signs. Be sure to
additionally take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea can result in matted feathers and also clogged cloaca.
Finally, it is necessary to watch out for social problems, such as the
littlest chick obtaining badgered. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now totally feathery
and its time for them to leave the
security of your home
and also relocate outside right into a cage. Look into our
area on chicken coops to find out
more
about coops as well as
correct cage habitats.
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