Baby Chickens for Sale in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania
Baby Chickens for Sale in Pen Argyl, 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 Chicks For Sale in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Pen Argyl 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. Pen Argyl Pennsylvania also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Pen Argyl 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 Pen Argyl PA.Baby Chickens Sale in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Pen Argyl 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
Pen Argyl 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 Pen Argyl
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 Mail Order in Pen Argyl, 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 Pen Argyl 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 Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania Baby chicks are really charming and also hard to stand up to, yet it's best to prepare for their arrival before you get them. Prepare first by gathering not just the right products, but additionally the appropriate expertise to take care of them. Raising baby chicks is fairly straightforward, you just have to offer them with the following: A clean and warm and comfortable environment A lot of food as well as water Interest and also love Environment Your environment could be a straightforward box, aquarium, pet cat carrier, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and blankets (without any loose strings!) to start, and after a few weeks use straw over paper. Note: Avoid making use of only newspaper or other slipper surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand malformed. You additionally need something to provide food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water recipe from the feed store, or a pickle jar lid for food as well as a family pet bird water dispenser from a pet dog shop. Additionally, as the chicks get older you can introduce a perch into the habitat to get them trained on setting down. Warmth To keep your chicks warm you have to offer them with a heat source. This could be as basic as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb also work very well (my referral). Chicks need this heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is replaced with feathers (which could use up to two months). The recently hatched out require a temperature in between 90 as well as 100 degrees, and also weekly this can be decreased by roughly 5 levels or so. The warmth source ought to be on just one side of the cage to enable chicks a variety of temperatures. The chicks are your finest thermometer- if they are concealing in the other edge of your heat lamp, you need to minimize the temperature. If they are surrounding each other under the heat (not merely cuddling), you need to add some warmth. Home cleaning Tidiness is essential and also it keeps your chicks healthy and balanced. Be sure to alter the bed linen often as well as always give clean food and also water Food as well as water. Chicks expand quite quickly which calls for plenty of clean food and also water. Give sufficient at all times and check frequently to prevent thirsty and hungry chicks. Chick food is different compared to grown-up chicken food, as well as it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the initial 2 months, then switch over to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for an additional 2 months, and after that to a slightly lower healthy protein feed or a level feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks want to obtain a running start on taking dirt bathrooms, while others won't take up that task up until they are older. If you have the space in your chick room, present a tray of sand or dirt for them to shower in. Attention as well as love There are a few advantages to spending time with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly probably bond with you and also not escape as grownups. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily as well as watch their actions, you could catch ailment or other troubles earlier. Keep an eye out for hissing, hopping, or other harmful indicators. Make certain to additionally consider their poop, as diarrhea can bring about matted feathers and also clogged cloaca. Lastly, it is important to watch out for social issues, such as the smallest chick getting badgered. Empty nest disorder So your chicks are now fully feathery and also its time for them to leave the security of your residence as well as move outside into a cage. Have a look at our section on chicken coops for more information about cages and appropriate coop environments.Baby Chickens And Ducks Baby Chicks Gender
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