Chickens are social birds and really need to have at least one friend, so count on starting with a minimum of two. Having multiple birds will also help them keep each other warm in the winter time. So, how many should you get? I read somewhere that two hens per family member is a good guideline. By their rule, if you have a family of 5, that would mean 10 hens. But also keep in mind that young hens can lay one egg every 1-2 days during the warm months. That means you could have 35-70 eggs in one week’s time! That’s quite a few eggs. Now you can freeze eggs, cook or bake items that use eggs and freeze those, but you still should take that into consideration when deciding how many. Personally if we were to start again, I would go with 5-8 hens. This coming from the family that currently has 18 hens … but we’re also selling quite a few eggs.
We’ve never gotten eggs for incubation, so I can’t offer any advice on how to start there.
Our chickens have always come as baby chicks. There are two ways I know of to get chickens this way – buy them local or find an online source. I’m pretty sure our local Blaine’s Farm & Fleet has chickens each spring. Selection would be limited but you should find only those breeds suited to your area.
We’ve had good luck ordering from Murray McMurray Hatchery. They have a wide array of breeds and you can find some good deals (which is how we ended up ordering 45 birds the first time!). The downside to mail-ordering birds is there is usually a minimum number you have to order so they can keep each other warm in the box during the few days they are being shipped. And yes, they do actually come via US Postal Service. The post office knows how to handle them so they get to you in time. There’s always a risk of chicks not surviving the shipping process. We lost one last year when we ordered again. Sometimes hatcheries will take that into consideration and throw in an extra bird just in case (but don’t count on it). Let them know if a bird doesn’t survive – they may give you a refund or discount if it’s within 24-48 hrs of arrival.
If you get baby chicks instead of full-grown hens, keep in mind that you will need to keep them warm … like 90-95°F warm the first few weeks of their lives. This requires a heat lamp or some other heat source, and a “brooder” area where you can make sure they are draft-free. This area could be inside your existing coop (if there aren’t hens in there already), but you’ll want to contain them in a smaller size to make sure they stay warm. As the weeks pass you can move the heat lamp up, reducing the temperature by 5-degrees per week until they’re ready to go outside.
You could also check out local sites like Craigslist as there might be some people that received full-grown chickens can no longer keep them.
There are a multitude of choices for chicken breeds out there. You can get
great egg-producers
dual-purpose breeds (if you intend to eat your birds later)
breeds that are cold-hardy
“fancy” birds with amazing plumage, aka ornamentals
rare breeds – some of which are endangered.
and have great listings of chicken breeds to help you sort it out.
For our location, we wanted to make sure our chickens would be cold-hardy. We also wanted fairly good layers, so most of our hens are either Speckled Sussex or Rhode Island Reds. We also had good luck with Buff Orpingtons. Opal is our one remaining Silver-Laced Wyandotte from the first batch.
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Baby Chicks Care in
Mercer, Wisconsin
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Mercer Wisconsin,
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. Mercer
Wisconsin also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Mercer Wisconsin, 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 Mercer WI.
Baby Chicks
Diet in
Mercer, Wisconsin
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Mercer Wisconsin
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
Mercer Wisconsin * 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 Mercer
Wisconsin * 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 Price in
Mercer, Wisconsin
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
Mercer Wisconsin 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 Mercer,
Wisconsin Baby chicks are extremely
cute and also
challenging to stand up to,
however it's best to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare first
by compiling not just the
proper materials, yet
also the correct
expertise to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
simple, you just have to provide them with the following: A
clean and warm
habitat A lot of food as well
as water Focus and
love Environment Your habitat can be an easy box, fish tank,
pet cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (without any loosened
strings!) to begin, and also after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid utilizing only
newspaper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could expand
malformed. You likewise require
something to serve up food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
meal from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from an animal store. Also, as the chicks get
older you can introduce a perch
into the environment to get them
trained on setting down. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
offer them with a warmth source.
This can be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb also work very
well (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which could use
up to two months). The freshly
hatched require a temperature
between 90 and also 100 levels,
as well as every week this could
be decreased by
about 5 levels approximately. The warmth resource ought
to get on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks a variety of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
opposite edge of your warmth
lamp, you should
minimize the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not just snuggling),
you have to add some heat.
House cleaning
Tidiness is crucial and it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to change
the bed linens
typically as well as
constantly offer tidy
food and water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow really quick
which requires plenty of clean
food and water. Provide
enough in any way times as well
as check
commonly to
stop parched and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared
to grown-up chicken food, and it is available in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
switch to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and after that to a somewhat
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
dust baths, while others won't take
up that task up until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
unit, present a tray of sand or
dirt for them to bathe in.
Focus as well as love There are a
few advantages to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will more than likely bond with you and also
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
see their habits, you can
catch disease or various
other troubles earlier. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
other undesirable
indications. Make sure to
likewise take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea can lead
to matted plumes as well
as obstructed cloaca.
Last but not least, it is important to look out
for social problems, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining teased. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now totally feathery
as well as its time for them to leave the
security of your house
and also relocate outside into a cage. Have a look at our
area on chicken cages to learn more
about coops and also
appropriate coop habitats.
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