Baby Chickens for Sale in Borderland, West Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Borderland, West Virginia
Things I Didn’t Know a Year Ago: Chicken Edition
In a few weeks, 26 chicks will invade our house. I have never personally raised chickens before and I’m getting a little nervous. Today I thought I would spout out some random chicken facts so that I feel prepared for the invasion. Um, right.
So, here are some things about chickens that I didn’t know a year ago.
- Bantam: a mini chicken. Usually a breed of chicken has a full sized and a bantam size.
- Wattle: the little red flap of skin that hangs under a chicken’s chin. (I always think of Allie McBeal. Does anyone else remember the guy on that show who had a wattle obsession?)
- Girl chickens (hens) do not require a boy chicken (rooster) to lay eggs. They can lay without him around – the eggs just aren’t fertile and can’t turn into baby chicks.
- People at the feed store look at you funny if you refer to hens and roosters as girl and boy chickens.
- Some birds are better at laying eggs so they are referred to as egg layers. Others taste better so they are called meat birds. Some do both jobs pretty well and are given the title dual purpose. And yet others just stand around looking pretty so they are called exhibition or show birds.
- Heritage chickens are breeds of chickens that are older and usually haven’t been specifically bred to increase egg laying or meat production. Often they are considered dual purpose.
- Meat birds have different labels depending on when they are butchered. Broilers or fryers are usually butchered younger (the age depends on the breed) and typically weigh less than 3.5 pounds. Roasters are 4 or 5 pounds while stewing chickens are the oldest and weigh the most. They are usually laying hens who are done laying. They need to be cooked for a long time to soften up their tough meat.
- An old biddy is an affectionate name for an old laying hen. It is NOT a good nickname for your wife. It CAN be used when talking about crabby women – as long as you are a woman yourself and the person you’re talking about isn’t around.
- The term “sexed” does not mean what you might think. (And I’m not telling you what I thought it meant.) It means getting the gender of chicken that you want when you order from a hatchery (typically females if you want laying hens).
- Ordering chicks “straight run” means getting both males and females. You can usually do this with meat birds because you will butcher them before the hens start laying eggs or the rooster get too, well, rooster-y.
So now that I’ve proven my abilities for listing random chicken facts, I feel much better about my poultry-raising skills.
Um, right.
Thanks to my dad for the chicken pictures and for fielding all my chicken-related questions!
Other posts that might be of interest:
Baby Chickens Food in Borderland, West Virginia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Borderland West 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. Borderland West Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Borderland West 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 Borderland WV.Baby Chicks Online in Borderland, West Virginia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Borderland West 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
Borderland West 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 Borderland
West 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 Online in Borderland, West 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 Borderland West 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 Borderland, West Virginia Baby chicks are quite charming and hard to resist, yet it's ideal to plan for their arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare initially by compiling not only the right products, however likewise the correct understanding to care for them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably easy, you merely need to give them with the following: A tidy as well as warm habitat Plenty of food as well as water Attention and also love Habitat Your habitat could be a straightforward box, fish tank, cat provider, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels and also coverings (without any loosened strings!) to start, and after a few weeks use straw over paper. Note: Avoid making use of just newspaper or other sandal surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow malformed. You additionally require something to serve up food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar lid for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch right into the environment to obtain them educated on perching. Warmth To maintain your chicks heat you have to offer them with a heat resource. This can be as straightforward as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth bulb likewise function extremely well (my referral). Chicks need this warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is changed with plumes (which can use up to two months). The newly hatched out need a temperature level in between 90 and 100 levels, and every week this could be minimized by approximately 5 levels approximately. The warmth source ought to get on just one side of the cage to permit chicks a variety of temperatures. The chicks are your best thermostat- if they are hiding in the other corner of your warmth light, you need to minimize the temperature. If they are smothering each other under the heat (not just curling up), you need to put some warmth. House cleaning Cleanliness is key as well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to change the bedding often and consistently supply tidy food and also water Food as well as water. Chicks grow very fast which needs lots of clean food and water. Provide enough in any way times and examine usually to prevent parched as well as hungry chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated and also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the initial two months, then switch to a raiser food (~ 17 % protein) for one more 2 months, then to a somewhat lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a head start on taking dirt baths, while others won't use up that task till they are older. If you have the room in your chick enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or dirt for them to shower in. Attention and also love There are a few advantages to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly probably bond with you and not flee as adults. Second, if you examine your chicks daily as well as see their habits, you could capture health problem or various other problems earlier. Keep an eye out for hissing, hopping, or various other harmful indications. Make sure to also look at their poop, as diarrhea can cause matted plumes and clogged cloaca. Finally, it is essential to look out for social problems, such as the littlest chick obtaining picked on. Vacant nest disorder So your chicks are currently fully feathered and also its time for them to leave the safety and security of your residence and also move outside right into a cage. Take a look at our area on chicken coops to learn more about cages and proper cage environments.Baby Chicks Order Baby Chicks Raising
More Posts
Baby Chickens for Sale in Adrian, West Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Berwind, West Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Belmont, West Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Blacksville, West Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Asbury, West Virginia