I remember when I decided to add chickens to our lives. I had been talking about it for years. I knew I had some things to do before I bought the chickens (food, equipment and fencing supplies). I actually bought the chicks on the spur of the moment one day while I was at the Tractor Supply store. I have now had chickens for 8 years.
I bought some food for the chicks, a feeder, a heat lamp and a waterer. I knew I had a couple weeks before I could put the chicks into a fenced-in area so I would have time to build something.
I put the baby chicks into a tall cardboard box with lots of newspaper in the bottom. As the chicks dirtied the newspaper, I could remove a layer at a time. In about a week, you will need some kind of fencing to cover the top of the box. The chicks will be getting out, if you don’t.
I found a spot in our storage building to put the box and hooked up the heat lamp. You need to be really careful with newspaper, a cardboard box and a heat lamp. I worried that it would catch on fire. I used a regular light bulb instead of one of those infrared lights. It was April so it was pretty warm already.
The chicks grew quickly and after a few weeks, I knew they needed more room. The odor was not pleasant even though I changed the paper every day. The chick’s feeder is a long metal feeder with holes. They would crap on it. Then the water had to be changed every day, too. It only took maybe five to ten minutes a day to clean the box and refill the feeder/water.
We went ahead and made a chicken yard big enough for the chicks as adults. I remember reading somewhere that each chicken needs a 4ft square area. Our goal was to keep somewhere between 6 to 12 hens. I wanted one rooster, too. Now that I have had chickens for a number of years, I can say I didn’t enjoy having a rooster. They make a lot of noise in the mornings. Also, they don’t lay eggs. I often felt sorry for the hens as the rooster jumped on them to mate. If you don’t plan on baby chicks, you don’t need the eggs fertilized.
You will need a shelter at night for them to perch. A place to keep the rain and wind off them, too. In other words, we weren’t worrying about cold weather in Florida. I also made sure I built the fenced-in area under some shade trees to keep the chickens cooler. When they are hot, they tend to open their beaks and also spread their wings.
Another thing, you may have to clip their wings some to keep them from flying over the fence. You just need to clip one wing about two inches or so. Just don’t clip too too much and hurt your chicken. Catching the chicken to clip their wings is fun…lol. You just need to corner it and then reach down and grab it. I must admit, the first time I did it, I thought the chicken would peck me but it didn’t.
Free range chicken eggs are much better for you than the ones you buy at the grocery store so I keep the hens in their yard during their laying time and let them out after I collect the eggs (around 4 or 5pm). They return to their house to perch when it starts to get dark outside. Any time you want them to go back into their yard, just lure them with food and throw it in their yard. Believe me, they come running.
For egg laying nests, we used plastic crates. You can research the size of the nest. I read specific “best” size for a nest and it seems like it was about 14 x 14 inches. Actually, my chickens often laid their eggs on the floor of the house, in a corner. Be sure to collect your eggs every day, especially in the summer. I try to collect the eggs before dinner. They seem to lay somewhere between 11am to 3pm.
If I go away for a couple days, I fill up their waterer and their hanging food container and then just go. Sometimes my neighbor or niece collects the eggs while I am gone. If not, I collect the eggs upon returning and throw them away. It is not safe to eat eggs that have been outside in the heat for days.
To help keep odor down, I kept hay on the floor of the chicken house. During the summer, I often spread a bale of hay in the entire chicken yard. The chickens love to scratch and you will see you have NO grass within a short period of time.
I feed them cracked corn or chicken scratch purchased from the feed store. I keep a small bag of oyster shells on hand, too and throw some out maybe once a week.
You might wonder how many chickens you should you get. Well, I now have just five and they lay at least 12 eggs a week. One day I may get four and another two and then occasionally none. Between baking, keeping hard boiled eggs on hand for salads and making egg salad sandwiches, and then cooking a full breakfast on weekends……that is plenty for us. In fact, I have three dozen eggs in the refrigerator right now.
Remember there is a period of time they will not lay any eggs at all (during the winter). The egg laying process has everything to do with sun light. You can put your chickens under lights and they will continue to lay. I think it is best to allow nature to take it’s course and let the poor chicken’s body rest. Plus, electricity costs money.
I could go on and on about chickens but I will stop now. If you have any questions, you can make a comment and I will try to answer it.
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Crum 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. Crum
West Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Crum 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 Crum WV.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Crum 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
Crum 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 Crum
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.
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
Crum 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 Crum,
West Virginia Baby chicks are extremely
adorable and
challenging to resist,
however it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially
by collecting not just the
correct materials, yet
likewise the correct
knowledge to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
easy, you simply have to provide them with the following: A
clean and warm and comfortable
habitat Plenty of food and water Focus and also
love Habitat Your habitat can be a
simple box, aquarium,
cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (with no loosened
strings!) to start, and also after a few weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid utilizing only
paper or various other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You likewise require
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle container
cover for food as well as a pet bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Also, as the chicks get
older you can present a perch
right into the environment to get them
educated on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you need to
supply them with a warmth source.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb likewise function very
well (my
referral). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which can use
up to 2 months). The newly
hatched need a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and also weekly this can
be reduced by
around 5 levels approximately. The warmth source should get on merely one side of the cage
to permit chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
contrary edge of your heat
lamp, you need to
decrease the temperature. If
they are smothering each various other under the
warmth (not just curling up),
you should add some heat.
Housekeeping
Sanitation is key and also it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to transform
the bed linen
often and
always give tidy
food and water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow very quick
which requires plenty of clean
food and water. Give
enough at all times and examine
frequently to avoid thirsty as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is different compared
to adult chicken food, and it comes
in both medicated and non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
first two months, after that
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for an additional 2 months,
and afterwards to a slightly
reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
filth baths, while others will not occupy that task up until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
enclosure, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to bathe in.
Attention and love There are a couple of advantages to spending time with your chicks. To start
with, they will certainly more than likely bond with you and
not escape as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
view their behavior, you could
catch disease or various
other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
other unhealthy
indications. Make certain to
additionally look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can lead
to matted feathers and also stopped up cloaca.
Lastly, it is necessary to watch out for social problems, such as the
smallest chick obtaining teased. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are now fully feathery
as well as its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
as well as move outside into a cage. Have a look at our
part on chicken cages to get more information
about cages and
correct cage environments.