I put in an order for baby chickens today from Murry McMurray hatchery. I've used them before and the chicks always arrive alive and grow up healthy. This year I decided to order a variety of chickens. I really spent time looking through the catalogue and chose many that they said were good setters. I'd sure like to have them hatch out their own eggs. I've always had a rooster or two, right now I have a little banty who rules the roost and I have an Araucana cock also. Murry McMurray always throws in an extra chick or two and it's always a cockerel so I'll have a couple more. I wanted a mix of pullets because it's fun to have the variety. I ordered araucanas, red stars, black stars, delawares, black minorcas, blue andalusians, anconas, silver polish, buff minorcas, buff orpingtons, and rhode island reds. I could have ordered one of their package deals which will include at least five different breeds. I've done that before and been pleased as well. But since I wanted to make sure I got several different breeds that were setters I wanted to chose them myself. Ok, some of these aren't great setters but look interesting and will lay. McMurry makes you order 25 minimum to insure their safe arrival. I don't want that many but renters at the bug-out place want a few more so I'm splitting my order and will give them four or five. They will be arriving on either Sunday March 13th or Monday March 14th. I'll let the post office know in advance. Hopefully they'll call me on Sunday and I can go pick them up at that time. Otherwise, bright and early Monday morning I'll be there to get them. I have an old converted rabbit hutch that I've used in the past. We've kept it outside under the patio cover and right outside the kitchen window. The kids eat their breakfast and watch the chicks. I keep the heat lamp on and in really cold weather keep it covered up with a wool blanket. This year I'm thinking about doing it differently. We have a stock tank that leaks so instead of fixing it, I'm thinking about using it for the chicks. It's almost four feet long and almost a foot and a half tall. I can bring it into the laundry room and raise them in there. The only problem I'd have with that would be the cats. I'd have to put a cover on it to keep the cats off or I'll have bought them one very expensive dinner. The feed store down the road puts their chicks into a stock tank and it seems to work well. There are no corners so there's no place for the chicks to crush each other. There will also be plenty of room to roam once they do get a little bigger. I have a sack of chipped pine bedding that I can use in the tank. I'll throw it into the compost when the chicks go into the coop. I have a month to figure out which way I'm going to go with them. I also need to figure out what I'm doing with the 16 hens we now have. The youngest is three years old, the oldest, five or six. None of them are in their prime for laying anymore. Do I want to sell them, let them roam the yard (no feed bill then), or butcher them for stewing hens? I won't get rid of them until the new ones start laying, then the old ones are out of the coop!
Baby Chickens As Pets in
Harrisonburg, Virginia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Harrisonburg 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. Harrisonburg
Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Harrisonburg 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 Harrisonburg VA.
Baby Chickens How To Raise in
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Harrisonburg 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
Harrisonburg 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 Harrisonburg
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 How To Care in
Harrisonburg, 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
Harrisonburg 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 Harrisonburg,
Virginia Baby chicks are quite
cute and
hard to stand up to,
but it's best to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
proper products, however
also the correct
understanding to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
simple, you simply need
to give them with the following: A tidy and also warm
environment Lots of food and also water Interest as well as
love Habitat Your habitat could be a basic box, fish tank,
feline carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without any loose
strings!) to start, and also after a few weeks make use of straw over paper.
Note: Avoid making use of only
newspaper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You likewise require
something to provide food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
dish from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food and a pet bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Also, as the chicks grow older you could present a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on setting down. Warmth To
maintain your chicks heat you have to
give them with a warmth source.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb additionally function very
well (my
recommendation). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can take up to two months). The newly
hatched require a temperature
in between 90 and 100 degrees,
and each week this could
be lowered by
approximately 5 degrees approximately. The warmth source ought
to get on just one side of the cage
to enable chicks a range of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
opposite corner of your heat
lamp, you should
minimize the temperature. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not simply cuddling),
you should include some warmth.
House cleaning
Sanitation is essential and it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to alter
the bed linens
often as well as
constantly offer clean
food and also water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand very fast
which requires plenty of clean
food as well as water. Provide
sufficient whatsoever times as well
as inspect
commonly to
stop dehydrated and
starving chicks. Chick food is various compared
to adult chicken food, and it is available in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first two months, after that
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and afterwards to a slightly
lower protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks prefer to get a running start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others will not use up that task up until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
unit, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to wash in.
Interest and love There are a
few advantages to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly most
likely bond with you as well as
not flee as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
see their habits, you can
capture ailment or other issues previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
various other unhealthy
indicators. Make sure to
likewise take a look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can result in matted feathers as well
as obstructed cloaca.
Lastly, it is essential to watch out for social problems, such as the
littlest chick getting badgered. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now fully feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
safety of your residence
as well as move outside into a
coop. Take a look at our
section on chicken coops to learn more
regarding cages and
proper coop habitats.
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