Baby Chickens for Sale in Ripley, West Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Ripley, West Virginia
How to Introduce New Chickens into your Flock, part 2
Disease and Parasites
When you introduce new chickens to your flock, you run the risk of also introducing new diseases or parasites to your flock. If you take your chickens to poultry shows, then you run that same risk when you reintroduce chickens that were taken to the show back into your main flock.
Quarantine
The best and most effective way to protect your flock from diseases introduced by new chickens is to quarantine them. When you quarantine a chicken or several chickens, you keep them separate from the rest of the flock for an extended time period. We recommend a quarantine of at least 30 days.
During the quarantine, care for the quarantined chickens normally, giving them food and water, but do not allow any contact with the existing flock. Thoroughly wash your hands and disinfect your feet and anything else that comes in contact with these chickens or their environment or manure. We carry several that work well.
While the chickens are in quarantine, watch them closely for any signs of parasites, such as mites, and for any signs of disease, such as respiratory problems, or mucus discharges from the chickens’ eyes or nostrils.
Another Precaution
Chickens in a flock can build up an immunity to a disease yet still be carriers of that disease. If your new chickens have such an immunity and are disease carriers, the quarantine described above won’t be enough, and the new chickens could still introduce disease into your flock undetected.
There is a way to guard against this. It involves a little risk, but it minimizes the risk of infecting the main flock. Take one chicken from your main flock and move it into the quarantine with the new birds. Keep that chicken with your other quarantined birds for the entire quarantine period. Watch her closely. If she begins to develop any signs of disease, it is likely that she was infected by the new birds, so in that case, do not introduce the new birds into the flock. On the other hand, if she makes it through the quarantine period without any signs of disease, then you can be reasonably sure that it is safe to introduce her and the new birds into your flock.
With this approach, you run the risk of losing one chicken from your main flock to disease, but you greatly reduce the risk of losing your entire flock.
Baby Chicks from Murray McMurray Hatchery
Murray McMurray Hatchery takes a to make sure that any baby chicks you receive from us are healthy and free of disease. This eliminates any concern you may have about the baby chicks introducing disease to your existing flock, but there are still some things to consider.
Baby chicks are not able to defend themselves against larger, more mature chickens, so they should be raised separately until they reach maturity. Second, if you have any concerns about disease or parasites in your existing flock, take proper precautions to make sure that you don’t risk introducing it to your new chickens.
In next week’s article, I will discuss how to integrate the new chickens into your existing flock.
Baby Chickens Buy in Ripley, West Virginia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Ripley 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. Ripley West Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Ripley 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 Ripley WV.Baby Chickens Hatching in Ripley, West Virginia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Ripley 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
Ripley 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 Ripley
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 Male Or Female in Ripley, 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 Ripley 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 Ripley, West Virginia Baby chicks are very adorable and tough to resist, however it's ideal to plan for their arrival before you get them. Prepare first by compiling not only the proper products, yet likewise the correct understanding to care for them. Raising baby chicks is fairly easy, you merely have to give them with the following: A tidy as well as cozy environment Lots of food and also water Attention and also love Environment Your environment can be a straightforward box, aquarium, pet cat service provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and also blankets (without any loose strings!) to begin, and also after a couple of weeks make use of straw over paper. Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing just paper or various other sandal surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand misshapen. You also require something to provide food and water in, such as a chicken feeder and water recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar lid for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Also, as the chicks grow older you can present a perch right into the habitat to get them educated on setting down. Heat To keep your chicks warm you have to supply them with a warmth source. This could be as simple as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat bulb also function very well (my suggestion). Chicks require this warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is replaced with feathers (which could use up to two months). The freshly hatched out require a temperature between 90 as well as 100 degrees, and also every week this could be minimized by about 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource ought to get on merely one side of the cage to allow chicks an array of temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal thermometer- if they are concealing in the other corner of your heat lamp, you should decrease the temperature level. If they are surrounding each other under the warmth (not simply curling up), you need to add some warmth. Housekeeping Tidiness is crucial and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Make sure to change the bedding often and consistently offer clean food and water Food and also water. Chicks grow really fast which requires lots of tidy food as well as water. Supply sufficient whatsoever times as well as examine typically to avoid thirsty as well as hungry chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and it comes in both medicated and also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the first 2 months, after that change to a raiser food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for another 2 months, and after that to a somewhat lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a head start on taking dirt baths, while others won't take up that task until they are older. If you have the room in your chick enclosure, present a tray of sand or dust for them to shower in. Attention and also love There are a few benefits to hanging out with your chicks. First off, they will more than likely bond with you and also not run away as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and also watch their behavior, you can catch disease or other troubles previously. Keep an eye out for wheezing, limping, or other harmful indicators. Make certain to likewise look at their poop, as looseness of the bowels could result in matted plumes and obstructed cloaca. Last but not least, it is very important to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the littlest chick getting teased. Vacant nest disorder So your chicks are now fully feathery and its time for them to leave the safety of your house and move outside into a cage. Look into our part on chicken coops for more information regarding coops and also appropriate cage environments.Baby Chickens Under Heat Lamp Baby Chickens Names
More Posts
Baby Chickens for Sale in Junior, West Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Canvas, West Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Dry Creek, West Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Elkins, West Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Arnoldsburg, West Virginia