We have had chickens for the last 5-6 years, and they have been enjoyable little workers for our tiny homestead. Awhile ago I was one of the Trustees for our large plot subdivision, that prohibits having chickens. My wife wanted chickens, and she ignored my dislike of the idea, and spoke with the other Trustees. She was asking for a variance to the subdivision rules, and followed their direction getting signatures from a portion of the other homeowners. Once complete, then they had other hoops for her to jump through just to get a vote to change the rules. What??? She just wanted a variance, not to change the rules, or to jump through more hoops to be told no. She asked what would happen if she just got them, and they replied they would sue (with a grin on his face, because he know there were much bigger fish to fry than a pretty girl’s chickens).
So, now we had to build a coop. The coop measured about 8 foot by 4 foot, and about 5 foot high at the top of the angled roof. The floor of the coop is layered with wood shavings and a nesting box provides access into the coop to grab the eggs. My wife built a run measuring 8 foot by 20, out of regular lumber and covered it with chicken wire. The chickens were ordered in a group of 25 baby hens, and she raised them, then found a new home for half of them, as she originally only wanted about a dozen birds.
The birds are allowed to free range throughout the day, and they find their way back into the coop as the sun is setting. We will go out in the evening to close the run and the coop, and open it all up the next morning. A couple of times, the run gets closed before they retire for the night, and we have had to hunt them down roosting in trees and behind bushes in the middle of the night. There is chicken feed to supplement the food they can find free ranging. Their egg production for the first few years was great, we would net about 8 eggs every day. We could had more if we ran a light 16 hours a day in the coop. Now that the remainder of those chickens are older, egg production has dwindled to almost none. She has a couple of new batches of hens (and a rooster, hope the neighbors aren’t too annoyed) that she has raised since May.
The chickens help the yard by scratching around looking for bugs. They are entertaining to watch how they interact with each other and handle their “pecking order”. One bit of advice though, don’t let your wife name them after her aunts, because it is difficult to tell the family that a stray dog, or another predator has killed the chicken named after them. The chickens we have are basically pets that luckily have a small production quality, rather than just being consumers. We have considered getting birds to raise for meat, but we are not ready for handling the day the culling would happen just yet, although the quality of meat would be far superior to what the grocery stores offer.
We also realized how little is known about chicken reproduction. We have been asked numerous time about why we get eggs when we (at the time) did not have a rooster. We also were surprised when someone couldn’t believe we would eat brown eggs that came out of a chicken’s butt. So I asked where the white eggs she buys at the store come from (and watched a blank stare of realization happening). The eggs are very fresh and look much richer than eggs bought from the store, and likely they are a month or two fresher.
If you have some space and the desire to raise chickens, they will be an asset to your little homestead too. Please feel free to comment with your questions or tell us about your flock.
SP
Baby Chickens Facts in
Pittsville, Virginia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Pittsville 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. Pittsville
Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Pittsville 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 Pittsville VA.
Baby Chicks Habitat in
Pittsville, Virginia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Pittsville 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
Pittsville 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 Pittsville
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 Outside in
Pittsville, 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
Pittsville 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 Pittsville,
Virginia Baby chicks are extremely
cute as well as
difficult to resist,
but it's best to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
right materials, yet
additionally the proper
knowledge to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
basic, you merely should give them with the following: A
clean as well as cozy
environment Plenty of food and water Interest as well as
love Environment Your environment could be a
simple box, aquarium,
feline provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without any loose
strings!) to begin, and after a few weeks use straw over paper.
Note: Avoid utilizing only
newspaper or other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You likewise need
something to serve up food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food and an animal bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Additionally, as the chicks age you could present a perch
into the environment to obtain them
educated on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks warm you need to
provide them with a warmth resource.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb likewise function extremely well (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which could use
up to two months). The newly
hatched out need a temperature level
in between 90 and 100 levels,
as well as each week this can
be reduced by
roughly 5 degrees approximately. The heat source need to be on simply one side of the cage
to allow chicks a variety of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
opposite edge of your heat
lamp, you have to
lower the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not merely cuddling),
you should put some heat.
Home cleaning
Cleanliness is essential and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to change
the bed linen
commonly and also
always supply clean
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks expand very quick
which requires lots of tidy
food as well as water. Give
enough at all times and also check
often to avoid parched as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, as well as it can be found in both medicated and
also non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, after that
change to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for one more 2 months,
and afterwards to a somewhat
lower protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks want
to get a head 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, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to bathe in.
Attention as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. To start
with, they will more than likely bond with you and also
not flee as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
watch their actions, you could
capture ailment or other issues previously. Watch out for hissing, limping, or
other unhealthy
signs. Make sure to
also consider
their poop, as diarrhea can result in matted feathers and also obstructed cloaca.
Last but not least, it is necessary to look out
for social problems, such as the
littlest chick obtaining teased. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now totally feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
and also relocate outside right into a cage. Take a look at our
area on chicken cages to read more
concerning cages and
appropriate coop habitats.
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