Recently, with the prices of food rising, especially eggs, we decided that we wanted to make a concentrated effort to raise chickens. I have never had the opportunity to interact with chickens other than in grade school when we hatched baby chickens in incubators, so I knew this would have a steep learning curve. After scouring the internet for sites on the different breeds of chickens, we were pleased to discover which had fairly good descriptions and accompanying pictures.
We decided on four different breeds:
1) Brahma:
2) Delaware:
3) Barred Rock:
and one we’re not sure of. We were told she was a Rhode Island Red (), but now we’re assuming she’s an
4) Ameraucana:
We purchased them at 2 weeks old and they’re about 3 months now. One thing I was not prepared for is that each hen has her own personality and quirks, not unlike a puppy. They are curious about everything and always come up to greet us. We decided to not invest in a rooster since our neighbors are relatively close and our alarm clocks are more than adequate.
Besides eggs and meat, another great benefit to having chickens is that their waste can be composted and used as fertilizer. Since they eat practically anything, they also make great food scrap disposals too!
If any of you decide to acquire your own flock of chickens be certain to buy or build your chicken coup first. Chickens grow amazingly fast and before you know it, they will have outgrown their temporary living arrangements. We decided to build our own coup and let me tell you, they take up a great deal of time. We ended up building a 6′ x 6′ base, covered the floor with linoleum, complete with a triangular based roof of which one side “hatches” open for easy cleaning. The whole coup is on wooden stilts attached to concrete slabs which anchor it to the ground. The chicken door opens up into a large chicken run. Our design was pieced together from several other coup designs that others have posted on the internet.
Have you had experiences with chickens? If so, feel free to comment and share.
Barred Rock and a "We're Not Quite Sure" Hen
Baby Chicks Price in
Shock, West Virginia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Shock 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. Shock
West Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Shock 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 Shock WV.
Baby Chickens By Mail in
Shock, West Virginia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Shock 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
Shock 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 Shock
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 And Ducks in
Shock, 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
Shock 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 Shock,
West Virginia Baby chicks are quite
adorable as well as
challenging to stand up to,
however it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by compiling not just the
appropriate materials, however
also the appropriate
expertise to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
simple, you simply need
to offer them with the following: A
clean and also cozy
environment A lot of food as well
as water Focus as well as
love Habitat Your environment can be a straightforward box, fish tank,
feline service provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (with no loosened
strings!) to start, and also after a
couple of weeks utilize straw over paper.
Note: Avoid using just
newspaper or other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
misshapen. You additionally require
something to provide food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food as well as a pet bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Additionally, as the chicks get
older you can introduce a perch
into the habitat to get them
educated on perching. Warmth To
keep your chicks heat you need to
provide them with a heat resource.
This can be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile heat
bulb also work extremely well (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which can use
up to 2 months). The newly
hatched require a temperature level
in between 90 and 100 levels,
as well as weekly this can
be minimized by
around 5 degrees or
so. The heat source need to be on merely one side of the cage
to allow chicks a variety of
temperatures. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
opposite corner of your heat
light, you need to
lower the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
warmth (not just curling up),
you need to add some heat.
Home cleaning
Sanitation is key and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Make sure to change
the bed linens
commonly as well as
always provide clean
food as well as water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow really quick
which needs plenty of tidy
food as well as water. Give
sufficient at all times and also inspect
typically to
stop dehydrated as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared
to grown-up chicken food, as well as it comes
in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, then
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and afterwards to a somewhat
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks like to get a running start on taking
dust baths, while others will not use up that activity till they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Interest and also love There are a
few benefits to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will probably bond with you as well as
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
view their habits, you could
capture illness or various
other issues earlier. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, hopping, or
various other unhealthy
indicators. Make sure to
additionally consider
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can bring about matted feathers and also clogged up cloaca.
Finally, it is very
important to look out
for social concerns, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining picked
on. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now completely feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
and also relocate outside right into a
coop. Check out our
area on chicken cages for more information
regarding coops as well as
appropriate coop habitats.
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