Baby Chickens for Sale in Kelso, Washington
Baby Chickens for Sale in Kelso, Washington
Backyard Chickens: Baby Chicks!
Our new chicks (from left) Cruella, Susie and Phyllis.
There are few things as exciting for owners of backyard chickens as getting new chicks. They are just so cute and fuzzy. We picked up our little girls on Tuesday, January 29 from the breeder we bought Zsa Zsa from. This time we had some complications with our chicks. In the first few weeks we wound up losing two of the four chicks to what appeared to be cocci. Following is a bit of information about our two survivors and some lessons learned.
This is Susie (Susan B. Anthony) our blue cochin who will be large and silver.
My wife can come up with some clever names. Our Blue Cochin will grow into a very large blue/silver colored chicken. She is the largest of our chicks and is probably between 1-2 weeks old. She has a very loud chirp. She was loud enough that she woke me up overnight with her chirping. You will notice that she is feathered down her legs. This is a unique trait of the Cochin breed of chickens.
Cochins grow into large, fluffy chickens. Most of them weight 8-10lbs and look like they weigh about 20lbs with all their feathers. They are a very friendly breed and like to play mother hen, sitting on any eggs they find. The Cochin variety of bird lays approximately 3-4 eggs a week. The eggs are a creamy brown color. Cochins became world famous when a Chinese delegation gave some Cochins to Queen Victoria of England, who adored these chickens. They have been in America since around 1850 and are known to be especially friendly, although our chick is the bully of the brooding box
Our Gold Laced Polish chick – we named her Joan McHENzie since she is going to look a lot like me.
We also have a Gold Laced Polish chick. This chick will grow into a friendly, unique looking hen. She will have a fluff of feather on her head that will be gold, black and brown. Polish chicks do really well in the heat. They lay a small to medium white egg.
The two chicks we lost were a White Crested Black Polish that would have been a beautiful bird. We also lost a Silver Polish. All the chicks were inoculated against cocci but wound up getting sick and the symptoms were amazingly similar to cocci. When chicks have been inoculated against cocci they are usually fed non-medicated feed. After we lost our first two chicks I went ahead and switched to medicated feed and haven’t had a problem since. The only reason I could find for the non-medicated feed was that it was a waste of money since they had already been treated for this issue. Here are the two chicks we lost, and the names we came up with:
Our extra chick – a Silver Polish named Phyllis.
Cruella Deville, our White Crested Black Polish chicken.
We keep our chicks in the house when they are young. They hang out in the office in a breeding box that I made. They sleep for the first few days because they have been through A LOT! Chicks are shipped via express shipping to breeders and individuals in special boxes. Our breeder had at least 100 chicks in her garage. The extra travel to our house puts a bit more strain on them and they need to rest, eat and drink.
Chicks stay under a heat source that keeps the temperature in that portion of the box between 95-98 degrees. They are good about moving themselves around the box to regulate their temperature. They eat a special form of starter feed that is crumbled and easy to digest.
Getting to know the chicks.
In 1-2 weeks the chicks will start to pop out some feathers. They will begin those awkward weeks when they look like teenagers going through puberty. Frankly they are pretty ugly when they are pullets. Once they have fully feathered out and temps warm up outside, they will be introduced to the big chickens in the coop. I will let the young pullets out in the kennel portion of the coop so they are protected but not in with the big chickens. They can look at each other and get used to each other. Slowly they will be introduced to each other. We’ve never had a real problem with chickens get along since we tend to buy friendly breeds.
A lot of people ask how much chicks cost. If you already have all the gear (coop, brooding box, feeder, water, heat lamp) or can borrow it, the cost is pretty low. These unique chicks cost $18 all together. Their starter feed runs about $10. There are cleaning costs too…
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Baby Chickens Facts in Kelso, Washington
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Kelso Washington, 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. Kelso Washington also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Kelso Washington, 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 Kelso WA.Baby Chicks Baby Chickens in Kelso, Washington
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Kelso Washington 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
Kelso Washington * 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 Kelso
Washington * 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 For Easter in Kelso, Washington
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 Kelso Washington 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 Kelso, Washington Baby chicks are quite adorable as well as challenging to withstand, however it's ideal to prepare for their arrival before you get them. Prepare initially by collecting not just the right products, but also the correct knowledge to take care of them. Raising baby chicks is fairly basic, you merely have to provide them with the following: A tidy as well as cozy habitat A lot of food as well as water Attention and also love Environment Your habitat could be an easy box, aquarium, cat service provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as coverings (without any loosened strings!) to begin, and after a couple of weeks use straw over newspaper. Note: Avoid utilizing just paper or various other slipper surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand misshapen. You additionally require something to provide food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar lid for food and also a pet dog bird water dispenser from an animal store. Likewise, as the chicks get older you can present a perch right into the habitat to obtain them educated on perching. Warmth To maintain your chicks heat you have to offer them with a heat source. This could be as simple as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb likewise function extremely well (my recommendation). Chicks need this warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is replaced with plumes (which can use up to two months). The newly hatched require a temperature between 90 as well as 100 levels, and weekly this can be reduced by around 5 degrees or so. The heat resource should get on simply one side of the cage to permit chicks a variety of temperatures. The chicks are your finest thermostat- if they are hiding in the contrary edge of your heat light, you should reduce the temperature level. If they are surrounding each other under the warmth (not just cuddling), you have to add some warmth. Home cleaning Cleanliness is key as well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to transform the bed linen usually and consistently supply tidy food and also water Food and water. Chicks grow quite fast which requires plenty of tidy food and water. Give sufficient whatsoever times and also check frequently to prevent dehydrated as well as starving chicks. Chick food is different compared to adult chicken food, as well as it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the initial two months, after that change to a raiser food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for another 2 months, and then to a slightly reduced protein feed or a layer feed (if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks want to get a running start on taking dirt bathrooms, while others will not take up that task until they are older. If you have the space in your chick unit, introduce a tray of sand or filth for them to shower in. Attention and love There are a couple of benefits to hanging out with your chicks. To start with, they will certainly more than likely bond with you and not run away as grownups. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and see their behavior, you could catch illness or various other problems previously. Watch out for hissing, limping, or various other unhealthy indications. Make certain to additionally check out their poop, as looseness of the bowels could lead to matted feathers and blocked cloaca. Lastly, it is necessary to look out for social concerns, such as the tiniest chick obtaining teased. Empty nest syndrome So your chicks are now fully feathery and its time for them to leave the safety and security of your house and also move outside right into a coop. Check out our part on chicken coops to get more information regarding coops and also correct coop environments.Raising Baby Chickens Baby Chicks
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