Things No One Told You About Raising Baby Chicks On The Homestead
There are as many ways and opinions about how to raise chickens as there are chicken breeds. It is amazing at how passionate people are about their chickens and how they raise them. As the little chicks develop you can literally see them changing day to day. One day they had no wing feathers, and the next day they had visibly sprouted. Merissa over at shares raising baby chickens – a beginners guide to baby chicken care.
Raising Baby Chickens & Baby Chicken Care
Who can resist this cute little fuzzy baby chickens at the local farm supply store? They look so sweet and innocent and are just begging for you to take them home.
Even though having raising baby chickens seems easy enough (feed water = happy chickens!), it’s a little more complicated than it appears. Thankfully once you have a few tips and tricks under your belt it will be a breeze and your birds will stay happy and healthy and become the nice, producing flock you hope they will be.
I’ve raised chickens for many many years. When I was little we would have so much fun heading to the feed store and picking out our special birds that we would raise for the 4-H Achievement Days. Then we would spend weeks obsessing over our little birds and watching them as they slowly outgrew their fuzz and gain lovely feathers in all different colors. Of course, not every batch of birds turned out perfectly and there were many bumps along the way, but hopefully you will learn from our mistakes!
Let’s start in the beginning with that trip to the feed store. Most feed stores carry the basic breeds that will grow to be healthy meat and laying birds. You can check out . If you want to raise birds for laying eggs, make sure to get pullets (hens), if you don’t care as much or are raising birds for butchering, you can stick with the cheaper straight run. I’ve personally had one too many roosters chase me across the yard so I stick with all pullets. *Remember, there is always a chance that you may have some roosters, even in a pullet bunch…sexing chickens isn’t always accurate when they are so young.
Tip! Ask your feed store what day they get chickens in from their source and come pick out your birds a few days later. That way you know the birds made it through the shock of being transported and have a higher chance of being healthy.
While you are at the feed store, make sure to pick up several items. You will need a feeder, a waterer, chick starter, wood shavings, and a heat lamp set up. You will also need some kind of rubber or plastic tub if you don’t have one. A plastic tote works well for a small batch of birds, as does a rubber animal waterer. If there is someone around to help you, you can also ask them about baby chicken care, especially if you are getting a specialty breed.
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Baby Chicks Supplies in
Greenville, Virginia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Greenville 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. Greenville
Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Greenville 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 Greenville VA.
Baby Quail Chicks in
Greenville, Virginia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Greenville 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
Greenville 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 Greenville
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 Chicks As
Pets in
Greenville, 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
Greenville 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 Greenville,
Virginia Baby chicks are quite
charming and
hard to withstand,
however it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
proper materials, yet
likewise the proper
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
straightforward, you simply need
to offer them with the following: A
clean and also warm
environment Lots of food and also water Focus and also
love Habitat Your environment can be a basic box, fish tank,
pet cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (without loosened
strings!) to begin, as well as after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid utilizing only
paper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
misshapen. You additionally need
something to provide food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar
cover for food and an animal bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
trained on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks heat you need to
give them with a warmth resource.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb also function extremely well (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which could take up to two months). The recently
hatched need a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 levels,
and also every week this could
be minimized by
approximately 5 levels or
so. The heat resource need to be on merely one side of the cage
to permit chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
other corner of your heat
light, you should
lower the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not just snuggling),
you need to put some heat.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is crucial and it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to alter
the bed linens
commonly and also
always provide clean
food and also water Food and water.
Chicks expand quite quick
which needs plenty of clean
food as well as water. Provide
enough in any way times and inspect
usually to avoid thirsty and also
starving chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, as well as it is available in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial 2 months, then
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for an additional 2 months,
and afterwards to a slightly
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks want
to obtain a running start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others will not occupy that activity till they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
unit, present a tray of sand or
dirt for them to wash in.
Attention and also love There are a
few advantages to hanging
out with your chicks. To start
with, they will certainly more than likely bond with you as well as
not flee as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
view their actions, you could
catch ailment or other troubles earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
various other undesirable
indicators. Be sure to
additionally check out
their poop, as diarrhea could bring about matted feathers as well
as clogged cloaca.
Finally, it is necessary to look out
for social issues, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining picked
on. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now totally feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your residence
as well as move outside right into a
coop. Check out our
section on chicken coops for more information
concerning cages as well as
proper cage habitats.
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