I remember when I decided to add chickens to our lives. I had been talking about it for years. I knew I had some things to do before I bought the chickens (food, equipment and fencing supplies). I actually bought the chicks on the spur of the moment one day while I was at the Tractor Supply store. I have now had chickens for 8 years.
I bought some food for the chicks, a feeder, a heat lamp and a waterer. I knew I had a couple weeks before I could put the chicks into a fenced-in area so I would have time to build something.
I put the baby chicks into a tall cardboard box with lots of newspaper in the bottom. As the chicks dirtied the newspaper, I could remove a layer at a time. In about a week, you will need some kind of fencing to cover the top of the box. The chicks will be getting out, if you don’t.
I found a spot in our storage building to put the box and hooked up the heat lamp. You need to be really careful with newspaper, a cardboard box and a heat lamp. I worried that it would catch on fire. I used a regular light bulb instead of one of those infrared lights. It was April so it was pretty warm already.
The chicks grew quickly and after a few weeks, I knew they needed more room. The odor was not pleasant even though I changed the paper every day. The chick’s feeder is a long metal feeder with holes. They would crap on it. Then the water had to be changed every day, too. It only took maybe five to ten minutes a day to clean the box and refill the feeder/water.
We went ahead and made a chicken yard big enough for the chicks as adults. I remember reading somewhere that each chicken needs a 4ft square area. Our goal was to keep somewhere between 6 to 12 hens. I wanted one rooster, too. Now that I have had chickens for a number of years, I can say I didn’t enjoy having a rooster. They make a lot of noise in the mornings. Also, they don’t lay eggs. I often felt sorry for the hens as the rooster jumped on them to mate. If you don’t plan on baby chicks, you don’t need the eggs fertilized.
You will need a shelter at night for them to perch. A place to keep the rain and wind off them, too. In other words, we weren’t worrying about cold weather in Florida. I also made sure I built the fenced-in area under some shade trees to keep the chickens cooler. When they are hot, they tend to open their beaks and also spread their wings.
Another thing, you may have to clip their wings some to keep them from flying over the fence. You just need to clip one wing about two inches or so. Just don’t clip too too much and hurt your chicken. Catching the chicken to clip their wings is fun…lol. You just need to corner it and then reach down and grab it. I must admit, the first time I did it, I thought the chicken would peck me but it didn’t.
Free range chicken eggs are much better for you than the ones you buy at the grocery store so I keep the hens in their yard during their laying time and let them out after I collect the eggs (around 4 or 5pm). They return to their house to perch when it starts to get dark outside. Any time you want them to go back into their yard, just lure them with food and throw it in their yard. Believe me, they come running.
For egg laying nests, we used plastic crates. You can research the size of the nest. I read specific “best” size for a nest and it seems like it was about 14 x 14 inches. Actually, my chickens often laid their eggs on the floor of the house, in a corner. Be sure to collect your eggs every day, especially in the summer. I try to collect the eggs before dinner. They seem to lay somewhere between 11am to 3pm.
If I go away for a couple days, I fill up their waterer and their hanging food container and then just go. Sometimes my neighbor or niece collects the eggs while I am gone. If not, I collect the eggs upon returning and throw them away. It is not safe to eat eggs that have been outside in the heat for days.
To help keep odor down, I kept hay on the floor of the chicken house. During the summer, I often spread a bale of hay in the entire chicken yard. The chickens love to scratch and you will see you have NO grass within a short period of time.
I feed them cracked corn or chicken scratch purchased from the feed store. I keep a small bag of oyster shells on hand, too and throw some out maybe once a week.
You might wonder how many chickens you should you get. Well, I now have just five and they lay at least 12 eggs a week. One day I may get four and another two and then occasionally none. Between baking, keeping hard boiled eggs on hand for salads and making egg salad sandwiches, and then cooking a full breakfast on weekends……that is plenty for us. In fact, I have three dozen eggs in the refrigerator right now.
Remember there is a period of time they will not lay any eggs at all (during the winter). The egg laying process has everything to do with sun light. You can put your chickens under lights and they will continue to lay. I think it is best to allow nature to take it’s course and let the poor chicken’s body rest. Plus, electricity costs money.
I could go on and on about chickens but I will stop now. If you have any questions, you can make a comment and I will try to answer it.
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Ransom 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. Ransom
Pennsylvania also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Ransom 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 Ransom PA.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Ransom 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
Ransom 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 Ransom
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.
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
Ransom 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 Ransom,
Pennsylvania Baby chicks are extremely
cute as well as
tough to stand up to,
yet it's ideal to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by collecting not just the
appropriate products, yet
also the appropriate
understanding to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
simple, you simply need
to offer them with the following: A
clean and cozy
habitat Lots of food and water Interest as well as
love Habitat Your habitat can be a
simple box, fish tank,
cat provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (with no loose
strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid making use of just
newspaper or various other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
malformed. You additionally require
something to provide food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
dish from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
lid for food and also an animal bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Additionally, as the chicks grow older you can introduce a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
trained on setting down. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
give them with a warmth resource.
This can be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb also function extremely well (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which could use
up to two months). The newly
hatched require a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and each week this could
be minimized by
around 5 levels or
so. The heat resource should be on merely one side of the cage
to permit chicks a variety of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
other corner of your warmth
lamp, you should
reduce the temperature level. If
they are smothering each various other under the
heat (not just curling up),
you need to put some warmth.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is key and it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to transform
the bedding
usually and also
always provide tidy
food as well as water Food and water.
Chicks expand really quick
which needs plenty of clean
food as well as water. Supply
enough in any way times and check
frequently to avoid dehydrated and
starving chicks. Chick food is various compared
to grown-up chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, after that
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for an additional 2 months,
and after that to a slightly
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks want
to get a running start on taking
filth baths, while others won't occupy that activity till they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to bathe in.
Attention and love There are a couple of advantages to hanging
out with your chicks. To start
with, they will certainly probably bond with you and also
not escape as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
see their actions, you could
catch health problem or various
other problems previously. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or
various other harmful
indicators. Be sure to
additionally check out
their poop, as diarrhea could lead
to matted feathers and clogged up cloaca.
Lastly, it is essential to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining teased. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are now completely feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
and also relocate outside into a
coop. Take a look at our
section on chicken coops for more information
about coops as well as
correct cage habitats.