Recently, with the prices of food rising, especially eggs, we decided that we wanted to make a concentrated effort to raise chickens. I have never had the opportunity to interact with chickens other than in grade school when we hatched baby chickens in incubators, so I knew this would have a steep learning curve. After scouring the internet for sites on the different breeds of chickens, we were pleased to discover which had fairly good descriptions and accompanying pictures.
We decided on four different breeds:
1) Brahma:
2) Delaware:
3) Barred Rock:
and one we’re not sure of. We were told she was a Rhode Island Red (), but now we’re assuming she’s an
4) Ameraucana:
We purchased them at 2 weeks old and they’re about 3 months now. One thing I was not prepared for is that each hen has her own personality and quirks, not unlike a puppy. They are curious about everything and always come up to greet us. We decided to not invest in a rooster since our neighbors are relatively close and our alarm clocks are more than adequate.
Besides eggs and meat, another great benefit to having chickens is that their waste can be composted and used as fertilizer. Since they eat practically anything, they also make great food scrap disposals too!
If any of you decide to acquire your own flock of chickens be certain to buy or build your chicken coup first. Chickens grow amazingly fast and before you know it, they will have outgrown their temporary living arrangements. We decided to build our own coup and let me tell you, they take up a great deal of time. We ended up building a 6′ x 6′ base, covered the floor with linoleum, complete with a triangular based roof of which one side “hatches” open for easy cleaning. The whole coup is on wooden stilts attached to concrete slabs which anchor it to the ground. The chicken door opens up into a large chicken run. Our design was pieced together from several other coup designs that others have posted on the internet.
Have you had experiences with chickens? If so, feel free to comment and share.
Barred Rock and a "We're Not Quite Sure" Hen
Baby Chickens Mail in
Bowie, Texas
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Bowie Texas,
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. Bowie
Texas also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Bowie Texas, 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 Bowie TX.
Baby
Chicks For Sale in
Bowie, Texas
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Bowie Texas
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
Bowie Texas * 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 Bowie
Texas * 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 Diet in
Bowie, Texas
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
Bowie Texas 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 Bowie,
Texas Baby chicks are really
cute and also
challenging to resist,
yet it's finest to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by compiling not just the
appropriate materials, but
also the proper
understanding to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
basic, you merely need
to provide them with the following: A tidy as well as cozy
habitat Lots of food as well
as water Focus as well as
love Environment Your habitat can be a straightforward box, fish tank,
cat carrier, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (without any loosened
strings!) to start, and after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid using just
newspaper or various other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can grow
misshapen. You additionally require
something to provide food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
lid for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Also, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
trained on perching. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you need to
supply them with a warmth resource.
This can be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb additionally function extremely well (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which could use
up to 2 months). The newly
hatched out need a temperature level
in between 90 and 100 degrees,
and also weekly this can
be minimized by
approximately 5 degrees or
so. The warmth resource should get on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
other edge of your warmth
light, you have to
lower the temperature level. If
they are smothering each other under the
warmth (not just curling up),
you have to include some heat.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is key as
well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to alter
the bed linen
commonly and also
always offer clean
food as well as water Food and also water.
Chicks expand really quickly
which needs plenty of clean
food and also water. Give
sufficient whatsoever times and also check
often to avoid thirsty as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is various compared
to grown-up chicken food, and it is available in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, after that
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
and then to a slightly
lower protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
filth baths, while others will not take
up that activity up until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to bathe in.
Interest as well as love There are a couple of advantages to spending time with your chicks. To start
with, they will most
likely bond with you as well as
not flee as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
enjoy their habits, you could
catch disease or other problems previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
various other undesirable
indicators. Be sure to
additionally look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could bring about matted plumes and obstructed cloaca.
Lastly, it is very
important to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
littlest chick getting badgered. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now totally feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety of your home
and also move outside right into a
coop. Look into our
area on chicken cages to read more
about coops as well as
proper coop habitats.
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