Baby Chickens for Sale in Elkton, Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Elkton, Virginia
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Posted By on March 1, 2016
We were so busy last year taking care of our new chicken flock…that we never even put out a blog about them! Well here is our announcement. We’ve had chickens since last spring! By now they are fully grown and doing great. We have 10 hens and 2 roosters and they all get along very well most of the time. Egg production is picking up after the last few dark and cold months. In January we got 70 eggs and in February we got 116 eggs. March will probably bring over 150 eggs! Lots of hard boiled eggs are consumed for lunch these days.
For anyone who is interested we got some uncommon varieties.
5 Blue Andalusians –
These are the black, gray and white chicks.
5 Cuckoo Marans –
These are the black with yellow spot on the head. They lay super dark brown eggs.
5 Easter Egg Chickens –
These are the tan/brown with stripes. They will lay pastel blue and green eggs (hence the name).
1 Dark Brahmas –
Murray McMurray always sends on free exotic chick with each order and this is the one we got!
Here’s a photo from last spring when they arrived.
Baby Chicks!
Cute!
They grew up very quickly.
Stanley – Blue Andalusian
Humphrey & Bee
Gem
Eventually they reached full size!
Blue Andalusian Rooster – Stanley
Bee – Dark Brahmas Rooster
Then we started getting eggs….and eggs….and more eggs…. I think we have collected over 500 eggs now since they started laying back in August.
We also named all of our chickens. The two roosters are named Stanley (Blue Andalusian) and Bee (Dark Brahmas). The hens are named Penelope, Gertrude, Delilah (Cuckoo Marans), Gem, Opal, Lucy (Blue Andalusian), Rosie, Myrtle, Mable and Hazel (Easter Eggers).
Every one of them is great and has their own special personality. Last year I spent a lot of time sitting with them and feeding them all sorts of treats from the garden. Winter time has brought this to a minimal time but I still go out every day to see them and make sure they have food and water. We set up a large heated container for water and a large bin for food so we don’t need to fill either for a long time. We also have the door on a timer. I’ll post about that later on.
Sadly we also learned how to butcher live chickens. We had 4 other roosters that didn’t make list of chickens to keep. 5 roosters is way too many for 10 hens! Even 2 is pushing it but they get along alright. They were named Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Cristo and Humphrey. Of all of them we miss Humphrey the most and will never forget him. He was a gorgeous bird. They just got too aggressive toward our hens so they ended up in the pot. It was an invaluable skill to learn as a homesteader and we have plans to raise meat birds later on so will be putting it to use again someday. We won’t be naming those birds though. It makes it much more difficult.
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Baby Chicks Baby Chickens in Elkton, Virginia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Elkton Virginia, 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. Elkton Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Elkton Virginia, 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 Elkton VA.Baby Chickens Bedding in Elkton, Virginia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Elkton Virginia 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
Elkton Virginia * 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 Elkton
Virginia * 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 Hatchery in Elkton, Virginia
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 Elkton Virginia 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 Elkton, Virginia Baby chicks are extremely adorable as well as challenging to withstand, however it's finest to prepare for their arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first by compiling not just the correct products, yet likewise the correct expertise to look after them. Raising baby chicks is fairly easy, you just need to provide them with the following: A clean as well as warm habitat A lot of food and water Attention as well as love Habitat Your environment can be a straightforward box, fish tank, cat carrier, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels and also blankets (without any loose strings!) to begin, and also after a couple of weeks utilize straw over paper. Note: Avoid utilizing just newspaper or various other slipper surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow malformed. You also need something to dish out food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water dish from the feed store, or a pickle jar cover for food and a pet bird water dispenser from a pet dog shop. Additionally, as the chicks get older you could present a perch into the environment to get them educated on setting down. Heat To keep your chicks heat you should provide them with a heat source. This could be as basic as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from a hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth light bulb also work effectively (my referral). Chicks need this warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is replaced with feathers (which can occupy to 2 months). The newly hatched require a temperature between 90 as well as 100 degrees, and also weekly this could be reduced by about 5 degrees approximately. The heat source ought to be on just one side of the cage to enable chicks an array of temperatures. The chicks are your best thermometer- if they are hiding in the contrary corner of your heat lamp, you should decrease the temperature level. If they are smothering each other under the warmth (not simply cuddling), you have to add some warmth. Home cleaning Sanitation is crucial and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Be sure to change the bed linen commonly and always provide clean food and also water Food and water. Chicks expand quite fast which requires plenty of clean food as well as water. Offer enough at all times as well as examine frequently to avoid parched and also starving chicks. Chick food is various compared to grown-up chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated and non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the first 2 months, then change to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for an additional 2 months, and after that to a somewhat reduced protein feed or a level feed (if you have layers). Soil Some chicks prefer to get a head start on taking dirt baths, while others will not take up that task up until they are older. If you have the space in your chick room, introduce a tray of sand or dust for them to bathe in. Interest and love There are a few advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. Firstly, they will most likely bond with you and not flee as grownups. Second, if you examine your chicks daily and watch their actions, you can capture ailment or various other troubles previously. Watch out for hissing, hopping, or other unhealthy signs. Make sure to additionally look at their poop, as looseness of the bowels can bring about matted feathers as well as clogged up cloaca. Last but not least, it is important to look out for social concerns, such as the tiniest chick obtaining picked on. Empty nest syndrome So your chicks are currently fully feathered as well as its time for them to leave the security of your house and move outside right into a cage. Take a look at our section on chicken cages to find out more concerning coops and also proper cage environments.Baby Chickens Names Baby Chicks
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