As I mentioned in an earlier post, I would recommend backyard chickens to almost anyone. Keeping chickens this past year has been a fun and educational experience for my whole family. We have brought our chickens to the local elementary school for their harvest fair and had our daughters pre-school class come to visit. Lots of friends have come over to see our set-up, and now two of them have chicks of their own.
However, I don’t think backyard chickens are for everyone. Just like I don’t think dogs or cats are for everyone. Many people get animals thinking they are cute or fun or whatever and then realize that they are a lot of work. That is how so many animals end up abandoned or in shelters. So now I’m going to share the “down-side” of keeping chickens just to make sure that everyone knows what they are getting themselves into. Obviously these weren’t big enough cons to keep me from having chickens, but to some people they might be. I prefer that people know what they are getting themselves into rather than abandon or mistreat an animal.
The cute fluffy chicks that arrive need an extreme amount of care and knowledge to keep them healthy. You need to keep them warm (but not too warm), you need to feed them special food, make sure their butts don’t paste up with droppings (fatal), make sure they don’t drown in their water dish, etc. etc. etc.
Chicks are cute and fluffy for about 2 weeks. They start getting their feathers in in about a week and turn into very awkward looking teenagers. It’s amazing how quickly they look like chickens and not babies.
Chickens are very social animals, so they need friends. In other words, you can’t just get one chicken or it will be depressed and lonely.
Chickens don’t like being confined in a small space. They can get bored, which leads to gruesome acts such as feather picking (Where they pull feathers out of their companions). Ouch. Once they see blood, they pick even more, which can actually lead to cannibalism.
Chickens need special diets for different stages of their lives. If they don’t get the proper, balanced nutrition they might have problems with feathers breaking off, or eggs coming out with soft shells (or no shells!)
Chickens like to scratch and peck. If you let them out in your yard they will turn a small bare spot into a big, bare spot. They like to dig into the dirt and take dust baths.
Chickens like to eat greens. That means not only grass, but also the lettuce you planted, the unripe blueberries you are waiting to eat, the ferns you just planted. You get the picture. They are like small goats. Almost anything is considered food.
You need to check on your chickens every day. In the summer you need to make sure they have plenty of water and that they aren’t overheating. In the winter you need to make sure their water hasn’t frozen. In the rain you still need to check on them.
Chickens like to eat chicken eggs also. If you don’t gather your eggs every day, the chicken might accidentally break one. As I mentioned above, chickens like to eat just about everything, so they will try the broken egg. That is the point where they decide they love the taste. You now have an egg-eater, who will deliberately break eggs to eat. When you go on vacation, you will need to find someone to gather eggs every day to prevent this from happening.
Bird droppings smell. You will have to clean out the coop regularly to keep the ammonia from building up. Ammonia is bad for the birds to breathe and it is bad for us to smell. Droppings will attract flies and will repel your friends. Chickens can’t control their bowels like cats and dogs, so you could get hit at any time.
Chickens are prone to getting parasites. Whether you introduce a new bird that has lice, or wild birds with mites fly into your yard, you will inevitably have to battle external parasites. I am in the middle of this battle and it is no fun! You have to scrub down the coop, spray or dust in every crevice and spray or dust your birds. I will make a post soon about this episode of our chickens lives. Parasites can kill your bird, so you have to deal with them. I just put my girls in a warm bath and cleaned the caked-on poop off their butt feathers yesterday. Make sure you are willing to do this! In case I’m not conveying how gross this is, you can see egg clusters around the base of feathers, scabs on your chickens butts and poop from the mites stuck in their feathers.
Chickens lay eggs reliably for about 2-3 years. Chickens can live for about 10 years. What are you going to do with an old chicken that doesn’t lay anymore?
Chickens are pretty delicate animals and can get sick. There are not many vets who take chickens. Are you willing/able to diagnose what’s wrong with your chicken? Will you be able to massage an egg out of your hen if it is stuck? Would you feed your chicken with an eye dropper if it stopped eating? Would you be able to humanely kill your chicken if it got mauled by a predator? Again, most vets won’t take chickens, even to put them down.
Chickens need a safe and secure henhouse. You need to be able to keep your hens warm in the winter, cool in the summer. Animals such as raccoons, hawks, opossums, foxes and dogs should not be able to get into their run or coop.
Chicken feed can attract rodents. I don’t think I need to elaborate on that one.
Have I lost you yet? Why would anyone be crazy enough to keep a chicken?? I think if you weighed many things in life you would find many cons to counter the pros. I can think of about 9,999 reasons not to have a baby, but I wouldn’t trade my kid for the world.
I love keeping chickens and to me they are more than worth any work they give me. Please make sure the same is true with you before you order some cute, fluffy chicks.
Baby
Chickens How To Care in
Springfield, Tennessee
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Springfield Tennessee,
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. Springfield
Tennessee also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Springfield Tennessee, 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 Springfield TN.
Baby Chickens In
The Mail in
Springfield, Tennessee
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Springfield Tennessee
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
Springfield Tennessee * 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 Springfield
Tennessee * 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 Names in
Springfield, Tennessee
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
Springfield Tennessee 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 Springfield,
Tennessee Baby chicks are very
adorable and
challenging to withstand,
yet it's best to plan for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially
by compiling not just the
proper products, yet
additionally the proper
understanding to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
simple, you merely should give them with the following: A
clean and also warm and comfortable
habitat A lot of food and water Interest and also
love Environment Your habitat could be an easy box, fish tank,
feline provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
coverings (with no loose
strings!) to start, and also after a few weeks utilize straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using only
paper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand
misshapen. You additionally require
something to dish out food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
lid for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Also, as the chicks age you could introduce a perch
right into the habitat to get them
educated on perching. Warmth To
keep your chicks warm you need to
offer them with a warmth source.
This could be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb also function extremely well (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which could take up to 2 months). The recently
hatched out need a temperature level
between 90 and 100 levels,
and also every week this can
be lowered by
about 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource should be on just one side of the cage
to permit chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
opposite edge of your heat
lamp, you should
decrease the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each other under the
warmth (not just curling up),
you need to put some warmth.
Home cleaning
Cleanliness is essential as
well as it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Be sure to change
the bed linens
commonly as well as
always provide tidy
food and water Food and also water.
Chicks grow really quick
which calls for plenty of tidy
food and water. Provide
enough whatsoever times and examine
usually to prevent parched and
starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and it is available in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, after that
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for one more 2 months,
then to a slightly
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks like to get a head start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't use up that activity until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to bathe in.
Focus and also love There are a
few benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. First off, they will most
likely bond with you and
not flee as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
watch their behavior, you can
capture illness or other problems previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
various other unhealthy
signs. Make sure to
additionally check out
their poop, as diarrhea can cause matted feathers and also blocked cloaca.
Last but not least, it is necessary to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
littlest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently completely feathery
and its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
as well as move outside into a
coop. Take a look at our
section on chicken cages to learn more
regarding coops as well as
proper cage environments.
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