Baby Chickens for Sale in Thurmond, West Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Thurmond, 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!
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Baby Chicks And Ducks in Thurmond, West Virginia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Thurmond 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. Thurmond West Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Thurmond 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 Thurmond WV.Baby Chickens Habitat in Thurmond, West Virginia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Thurmond 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
Thurmond 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 Thurmond
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 Order Online in Thurmond, 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 Thurmond 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 Thurmond, West Virginia Baby chicks are extremely adorable and also challenging to resist, but it's finest to prepare for their arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially by gathering not only the correct products, however likewise the appropriate understanding to care for them. Raising baby chicks is relatively straightforward, you merely need to supply them with the following: A tidy and warm and comfortable habitat A lot of food as well as water Attention and also love Environment Your environment can be an easy box, aquarium, cat carrier, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as blankets (without any loosened strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks use straw over newspaper. Keep in mind: Avoid making use of just paper or various other slipper surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow malformed. You additionally require something to serve up food and water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water dish from the feed store, or a pickle container lid for food and a family pet bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Additionally, as the chicks grow older you can introduce a perch into the environment to obtain them trained on setting down. Warmth To keep your chicks warm you should offer them with a warmth resource. This can be as easy as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth bulb also function extremely well (my recommendation). Chicks require this heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is changed with plumes (which can take up to two months). The recently hatched out need a temperature between 90 and also 100 levels, and also weekly this could be decreased by approximately 5 degrees or so. The warmth source must get on just 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 opposite corner of your heat light, you have to minimize the temperature. If they are surrounding each other under the warmth (not just curling up), you need to put some warmth. Housekeeping Cleanliness is crucial and it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to transform the bed linen often as well as always offer clean food as well as water Food as well as water. Chicks grow quite quickly which needs plenty of clean food and water. Provide sufficient whatsoever times as well as inspect often to stop dehydrated and also hungry chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, as well as it comes in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the initial 2 months, then change to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for one more 2 months, then to a somewhat reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks want to get a running start on taking dust baths, while others will not take up that activity up until they are older. If you have the space in your chick room, introduce a tray of sand or dust for them to wash in. Attention and also love There are a few benefits to hanging out with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly more than likely bond with you and not escape as adults. Second, if you examine your chicks daily as well as watch their behavior, you could capture health problem or various other problems previously. Keep an eye out for hissing, limping, or other undesirable indications. Make sure to also take a look at their poop, as looseness of the bowels could result in matted plumes as well as obstructed cloaca. Last but not least, it is essential to keep an eye out for social concerns, such as the littlest chick getting badgered. Vacant nest syndrome So your chicks are currently totally feathery as well as its time for them to leave the safety of your residence and also relocate outside right into a coop. Check out our part on chicken coops to find out more concerning cages and correct cage habitats.Baby Chicks Incubator Baby Chicks Food
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