Topic 2- Chickens

Here are some fun facts n figures and etymologies on the almighty chicken. We will begin exploring the various breeds beginning monday.

Fun facts

In Gainesville, Georgia, the chicken capital of the world, it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork. (i had to start with this,,, only in georgia ...)

There are approximately 450 million chickens in the United States. (dont be pissin them off )

Chickens make sounds with actual meaning. They give different alarm calls when threatened by different predators.

A rooster will attack anything that he thinks will harm the hens ( that includes humans ). Their spurs (located at the back of their leg) can cause a very painful puncture wound.

If a rooster is not present in a flock of hens, the dominant hen will sometimes take the role, stop laying, and begin to crow. This is rare but it does happen.

It is thought that the nearest relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex is a chicken.

Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens.

Wild Red Jungle Fowl are the ancestors of today's chickens. The breed has survived at large for about 8,000 years—rare for a wild ancestor of a domesticated animal.

The waste produced by one chicken in its lifetime can supply enough electricity to run a 100-watt bulb for five hours.

A hen must eat about four pounds of feed to produce one dozen eggs.

A chicken will lay bigger and stronger eggs if you change the lighting in a way to make her think a day is 28 hours long. *

Over 9 billion chickens are raised for food annually in the US. *

Researchers have found a way to turn chicken feathers into strong, plastic composites for products as varied as car dashboards and boat exteriors.

Feathers make good paper, even for filters or decorative wallpaper. They work best combined with wood pulp to increase the number of times the fiber can be recycled.

The superfine size and shape of feathers make them well suited to filtration needs.

Agricultural researchers have found a carbonization process that converts ordinary poultry manure into granules and powders that can mop up pollutants in water.

The chicken can travel up to nine miles per hour.

A hen now lays an average of 240 eggs a year, as compared to about 100 in 1940. A pullet (a hen less than one year old) becomes an egg layer at about five months. It is not necessary for a hen to be mated to lay eggs. In fact, almost all eggs sold commercially are unfertile.

There's only one catch for the hen in her increased egg-laying capacity, but it's a big one. She can maintain her high production rate for about 14 months. Then she's slaughtered and sold for meat. Nevertheless, a laying hen has better odds than meat chickens, which are killed and sold as broilers and fryers when less than three months old.
Chickens are virtually earthbound. If they can fly at all, it is only a few sporadic feet off the ground. They also have an inferior sense of taste and smell, although their hearing and eyesight are acute.

The average cock (rooster) weighs from 6 to 13 lb., the average hen from 4 to 10 lb. Bantam chickens can weigh less than 1 1/2 lb.

T here are four places in the United States with the word "chicken" in their name: Chicken, Alaska; Chicken Bristle in Illinois and Kentucky; and Chicken Town, Pennsylvania. According to lore, Chicken, Alaska got its name because the locals wanted to honor the state bird, the Ptarmigan, by naming their town Ptarmigan, Alaska. But they couldn’t spell Ptarmigan. However, they could spell Chicken

The "Chicken Dance" was introduced in the United States in 1981 by the Heilbronn Band from Germany during the 1981 Tulsa Oktoberfest. The song was not actually the Chicken Dance, but "Der Ententanz"—"The Duck Dance." There was not a duck costume to be found anywhere in Tulsa; however, a chicken costume was available at one of the local television stations. The station donated the costume for use at the festival, and the rest is history. At that time the tune was all the rage in Germany.

Dance Like a Chicken Day is May 15


Chicken related etymologies

egghead - An intellectual.

golden egg - Great profit.

spring chicken - A young woman.

chickens coming home to rost - A person's words or acts come back to cause trouble

like a chicken on a June bug - very quickly

mad as a wet hen - very angry

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. - Don't risk all you have on just one thing.

pecking order - The way people are ranked in relation to each other.

walking on egg shells - Behaving in a careful manner so as not to offend someone.

egg on - Urge someone on.

like a chicken with its head cut off - In a hurried or disorganized way.

egg on your face - Embarrassed.

lucky break - Unexpected good fortune

chicken feed - A small sum of money

bad egg - A person who disappoints expectations

counting your chickens before they hatch - Depending on getting something before you actually get it.

 

So, do you not have to have a rooster? I guess that shoots your continuing flock though doesn't it? One of my biggest concerns about raising chickens is cracking an egg and finding an unfinished chick. I understand it's a delicacy elsewhere but I think I'd never eat another egg.

 

no there is no need for a rooster unless you want fertilized eggs,
the fertile eggs will not begin growing until they reach 86 degrees and then incubate between 99 and 101 degrees thereafter, for the 21 day cycle before hatching, below that they do not grow at all. So long as eggs are collected out of nest boxes every few days there is no real chance of them growing into a chick...
Yes that would end the grow hatch cycle if you had no rooster, but there are ways to all together eliminate that worry if its a big worry. Our rooster is completely free range unless i need to incubate eggs for a new crop of hens. There are a few different methods to actually go about the hen/ rooster thing.

I can say in all my years I have never had that happen ,,( unfinished chick),,,,,i dont think i would eat them either if i did...

 

Why chickens? Here is a top ten reasons list of why chickens make a wonderful first time farm animal.

1. Low maintenance pets - they don't need walking or grooming, just feeding and watering a few times a week, shutting in and out, daily egg collection and cleaning out. They are quiet with the exception of roosters. Chickens make good companion animals and many cities allow hens.

2. Cheap - chickens are a lot cheaper to keep than a dog or cat.Feed costs can be very cheap and they also be fed scraps from the table as treats, further reducing feed costs, and also recycling.

3. Great tasting, nutritious eggs. Once you have tasted an egg produced in your own back garden, as fresh as can be, there is no going back. The yolks are a deep orange, rather than the pasty yellow that comes from the supermarket, and they stand proud in the frying pan, instead of spreading out, because they are minutes, hours or days old rather than weeks or months old.(an average egg from the store is nearly two months old )Eggs do not need refridgeration except in hot conditions, they will keep several weeks.

Research shows that chickens allowed to roam freely and eat grass lay eggs that are higher in Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin E and at the same time lower in cholesterol than eggs from the supermarket, making home-produced eggs healthier.

4. Personality. Believe it or not, chickens have great personalities. There are always the shy ones, and those that run up to you to be picked up and cuddled. They do quirky things that will light up your day, everyday.

5. Walking, living, breathing, beautiful lawn ornaments. Just take a look at our breeds section and you can see the wonderful array of chickens available - not all chickens are brown!

6. One step closer to sustainable living and self-sufficiency. Chickens give us eggs and meat that don't have food miles,

7. Organic, chemical free, pest control. Chickens love to eat bugs that bite you, such as mosquitoes and ticks, and the bugs that harm your plants like slugs. They sometimes even eat baby mice whole (all together now, EWWWWW!)

8. Free fertilizer. All it takes is a few months on the compost heap to rot down, and it is one of the best fertilizers on earth, better than cow and horse manure. You can also make liquid fertilizer from their droppings.

9. Save a hen from a life behind bars. By producing your own eggs and meat, you are reducing demand for eggs from hens in terrible conditions at factory farms, and some free range farms. By not buying their eggs, you are sending a clear message that you don't want what they're selling.

10. Be unique. Despite their growing popularity ( chicken keeping is the fastest growing hobby in the US), chickens are still comparatively rare. Amaze your neighbors with tasty blue eggs from your araucanas, your furry silkies and your friendly hens that come up just begging to be cuddled, and your garden will be the envy of your street with all that free fertilizer you've been putting in.

 

The basic needs in a chicken house are not much different than yours or mine are. Protection from the elements(but also have ventilation), food , and a cozy place to sleep. Chickens need between 1 and 2 square foot of coop space per bird (depending on size) and between 5 and 10 sq ft per bird if they are ranging or in some sort of fenced enclosure. They need places to roost and nest and a clean water and food source. Lighting is not necessary unless you have extreme cold , are trying to keep infighting down or increase egg production or are raising a batch of chicks.

There are ghetto chicken houses made from scraps n scribbles that we all have laying around and then there are the extravagant Mc chicken mansions available out on the market. They can cost from nothing to literally thousands of dollars depending upon what it is you would like .

Following are a few examples of different chicken housing options :

The Truck cap

Just as it sounds it is nothing more than an old truck cap placed either on the ground or on a few sheets of plywood. For cleaning , it just lifts up and you scoop out the manure . The back door on the cap serves as the door in and out of there home and usually there is a fenced run outside or they free range during the day. For ventilation purposes the side windows work well and we can control how much air circulation goes through it. Egg collection is probably the biggest issue with a truck cap coop.

chicken tractor or ark

The chicken tractor or chicken ark is a basic structure that has an enclosed area for the hens as well as a small run area.They work best when you want to allow your chickens to range and weed etc but do not have the space for them to run freely, It provides both protection for them and a controlled flock of chickens for you. It is generally portable by one or two people and are quite simply constructed or there are kits available for purchase There are many different variations and of course they will very depending upon what you use to make them.



The chicken Igloo

This is another alternative for small flocks of chickens. Remember the old igloo style dog houses? All you do with an igloo is attached a fenced area to the outside and you have a portable hen house for 1-4 hens. There are overpriced specially designed models available as well however I fail to see the difference in making your own as to purchasing one. The dog ones are also cheaper to find than one designed for a chicken.

the old shed conversion

If you have an old shed around, conversion is quite simple. Make a few roosts and nest areas and cut a chicken hole(like a doggie door) so that they may go in and out without using the main door, throw some fencing around it and instant house. If the chickens will free range then no fence is needed.


The Mc Mansion

The mcmansion style chicken coops are quite astounding, many of them are more fancy and ornate that the highest priced subdivisions. I personally do not see the need for them but to each there own and they are fun to look at.


what we have

We generally have between 30 and forty chickens total at any given time here on the farm.Predators are a big issue so we use what we call semi free range practices (we let them out to range during the day and lock them in the enclosure at night or I take veggies and greens etc to them in the enclosure ). We have a 16 x 8 foot coop with a row of nest boxes on each side at 32 inches in height. There is a door on the inside of the coop so that we can close it during inclement weather ,use it to keep peeps n pullets inside or round up chickens easily. It also serves well to close the hens outside in the attached 20x30 or so fenced run for cleaning purposes. Our coop has a 6 foot high chicken mesh wire fence around the outside and a net covering over the top because of predators. We also have an electric line out to the coop for lighting purposes and/ or heating purposes when needed.If you look along the inner wall , you can see the row of nest boxes, the other side has same . If you can see to the right on the outside of the coop there is an added on section of wood. This also has more nest boxes and an enclosed area for the chickens as well. we sometime block off half of the outside run in order to segregate different ages chickens or roosters from the rest of the flock.

These are just ideas for different types of chicken homes. They are many other options available out there for us to choose fromor use your imagination and see what you ideas you can come up with for your own flagship flock.

 

I would have to enclose the run area for the chickens due to predators around here. I would also have to enclose them to keep them out of our dogs' yard. The neighbor used to have chickens and he lost two to our dogs when they came across our fence. I have a lot of the materials you talked about for housing options. I'm beginning to see how do-able this would be for us. I've not had experience with chickens so I didn't know they had those types of personalities.

 

chickens really are quite awesome creatures, I enjoy just going and sitting outside their fenced in yard and watching them interact and such. As chicks they are quite funny and rather mean to one another,,, but it does show one how much of a pecking order there is with animals and how fast they learn it...
We had one that used to climb into the hot tub if it was left open for cleaning and he would come to the picnic table and eat dinner with us as well... would sit on the bench and peck at what i put in front of him on the table.

 

Chickens fall into one of four basic categories .Meat , egg laying, a combination of both and exhibition. Within each category there are several variations and crosses of birds; including temperament, color, egg size and colors and whether they will brood (raise there own young, this has been bred out of most birds today). Following is a brief list of sizes uses and varieties of some of the more common birds.

Meat birds or giant breeds
These birds grow at a fast rate of speed and although they do lay eggs they cant be depended on to lay regularly . The most common breeds are Cornish Giants and Jersey Black Giants.These birds dress out at between 8 and 10 pounds apiece. Commercial growers generally use a cornish giant / plymouth rock cross bred bird.

mid size or heavy breeds
These birds are generally dual purpose breeds, good meat but only average 3-4 pounds dressed out and produce eggs , but not as many as a bird bred for production. These birds often slow production of eggs during cold winter weather or stop altogether when not using artificial light in extreme cold and short day light hours. Barred Rocks, Red Rocks, Columbian Rock, Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorp. are all examples of mid size dual purpose birds.

small layer breeds

These birds are truly meant for egg production and not eatting unless of course you just like skin n bone. Leghorns, Araucanas and Anconas are some of the more popular small layers.


Banties or bantums
These are the lil gals in the chicken world. They are good layers however eggs are smaller than an average small egg. These lil guys are very alert creatures, must be to compensate for there size. They also make fairly decent inside pets , if that is your calling. Cochins, Mille Fleurs, Brahmas, and Silkies are some of the more popular bantum breeds.

I must add that there are several commercial cross breeds out there available now that combine the laying ability of one breed with the meat growing capabilities of another breed. When the egg production goes down they make a decent meal for a family. another good reason for crossed breeds is the use of sex linking of the chicks. Males and females are different colored making identification much easier.

There are several exhibition breeds as well that can be used for either eggs or meat as well as show. We have several different varieties of the polish crested here . They do lay decent egg amounts and are not too scrawny n bony, however they do need protection more so than most other breeds because of there adornments.

Here is a fairly decent link to the Univ of Ok site that has an alphabetical list of breeds and uses etc. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/poultry/chickens/
Another good sight for a search is http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/ They have excellent pictures on the sight as well as breaking the various birds down into more precise categories.

Here we have a variety of different birds. When we originally ordered chicks, we got several different varieties of the polish crested birds.They are Pretty, but need overhead protection,,, not overly friendly but can sneak up on them because of hair in there eyes.We have ameracauna hens , my favorites, blue eggs,meaty and pretty calm and friendly girls. We also had a batch of the sex linked red stars.They are an overall good mellow bird for the , good layers n meaty too. I have only ever had one hen brood and out of all the eggs she amassed under her, (20 sum odd) two hatched . We do use an incubator here and hatch our own birds now ,resulting in a whole bunch of funny n neat looking crosses..

 

Hillbillygal is worried about finding a featherd dynosaur in an egg. That's not common at all. If it happens you aint pickin your eggs often enough.

You just havent lived till you've slid your hand under a warm hen to get an egg and wrap your fingers around a Snake! Not to worry, the poisonous snakes dont eat eggs.

In Alaska I kept 25 Rhode island Hens and one big handsome Rooster.
During the winter I had Heat lamps on a timer. I gave them about 12 hours of daylight with the Incandescent bulbs, but the Heat lamps were on all the time.

Egg production dropped down to three or four eggs a day in the winter, but I'd get more than a dozen in the summer.

I made a mistake, in my ignorance I put the roost's up above the Heat lamps.
One day I found my big handsome Rooster laying on the floor. frozen.
I never did fix that.
We began to eat the Chickens till that was all over.

I also had Ducks, Turkeys, Rabbits n' Bantums.

White Leghorns, (the Commercial birds) are a waste of time, food and energy for the backyard bird farm. Low egg production, low tolerance to bad weather and a short lived bird, dying for no appearant reason.

This story is supposedly true:
During the early days of the Peace Corps, some enterprising young collegiate went to South or Central America.
He supposedly talked ol' Gomez into buying some Rhode Island Chicks with his hard earned money.
Those big Chickens would be better eating, and lay bigger eggs. A whole lot better than those scrawny birds that lived off the scraps n' bugs around his house.
O'l Gomez went for it. Spent nearly a years wages buying those Chicks.

It wasnt long before Gomez realized those big chicks couldnt fly and wouldnt be able to roost in the trees to keep away from Predators.

They also dont eat well on what they can scratch up off the ground.
Soon Gomez was down to killing his Red's because if he didn't eat them, something else would.
Mr. Peace Corps was humbly apologetic and much wiser after that. I always wondered if the U.S. Gov. ever re-imbursed Gomez?

Dilligaf you are up on your chickens. Nice forum.

 

i was going to post on preparing for babies this morning,, however i myself was not prepared for the little bundles of joy i had awaiting me at chore time,, 2 teenie tiny itty bitty goat kids,,, that are so little they cant even reach a nipple on mama... needless to say they are now residing in front of the woodstove warming...


they are now outside with mama n hopefully the lil fellers will make it thru the night and be well,,,. they are the smallest kids i have ever seen i believe,, they stand 8 inches at the shoulder and weigh about a pound n a half apiece

the sneaker is a woman size 7...

 

I am really enjoying this dilli, I will have chickens, oh yes....

 

Oh the goats are so cute! My dad had goats a few years ago. One snowy day one of the nannies had two kids and went insane. She'd have nothing to do with them. Dad ended up bringing them into the house and bottle feeding them. After a couple nights on the porch they went back to the momma and she finally took to them. They ended up being big boys.

 

I dont think these lil dudes are gonna make it ,,, they are just too little, lung issues and digestive issues,,, but i will give it a whirl n try ..if not then was way it meant to be... one thing ya learn fast with animals,,, they die , its nature and ya certainly cant stop it ...

 

Here is a comprehensive list of chicken vocabulary . Before you begin looking for your flock, you will want to become somewhat familiar with the terms.Education before hand saves alot of problems and dissapointment further on down the line, people will and do pull one over on you any chance they can get even in the homestead/ farming world.


Bantam- A variety of chicken that is 1/4 to 1/2 the size of a Standard chicken breed, kept mainly for ornamental purposes. Some chickens come in both Standard and Bantam varieties; some come in just Bantam and some in just Standard.

Bedding- A material, usually wood shavings, added to the coop floor and nest box in order to absorb odor and droppings and provide a soft surface for chickens to walk on.

Bloom-The delicate, invisible membrane outside an egg's shell that protects the contents from bacteria and other foreign matter.

Brood- 1. The desire of hens incubate and be a good mother to baby chicks. 2. A group of baby chicks.

Broodiness- The desire of some hens to sit on eggs (whether fertilized or unfertilized) in order to incubate and hatch them.

Candling- The process of shining a light on an egg to see inside and determine whether the it is fertilized. (Used to be done with a candle; now done with normal lightsor candles if you prefer)

Capon- A castrated rooster.

Chook- "Chicken" to Brits, Aussies and Kiwis. (Hey, if they can call chickens chooks, we can call them by their nicknames too, right?)

Clutch- A group of fertilized eggs that a hen incubates.

Cockerel- A juvenile rooster.

Comb- The red, rubbery flesh on top of a chicken's head. There are several variations of a comb which i will post on at a later point .

Coop- A chicken house.



Complete Feed- A feed that contains everything your chickens need to maintain proper health.

Crested Breed- A breed of chicken that has feathers on top of its head, such as a Polish or Sultan. hippy chickens

Crop- A part of the esophagus where food is digested and softened before it enters the stomach.

Droppings Tray-A collection unit located underneath roosting poles that collects droppings for easy disposal.

Dual Purpose-A hen that is bred for both egg-laying and meat qualities. Dual-purpose breeds are valued for their good nature and cold-hardiness.

Dust Bath- A behavior pattern whereby chickens dig themselves a hole in the ground and immerse themselves in the loosened earth, rolling around and trying to get as dirty as possible. Dust bathing is an important defense against mites and lice, and if they don't have access to a dust bath, they need an artificial dust bath set up indoors.

Dusting Powder-A solution that allows chickens confined to the indoors (or without access to dry earth) to take a dust bath.

Feeder-The container that holds and delivers feed to your chickens.

Fertilized Egg-An egg laid by a hen that has mated with a rooster and is capable of becoming a baby chick. (Only possible when roosters are present!)

flogging- when a poultry d of any sort attacks a human.

Fluff- The soft, profuse feathering on a chicken's butt.

Gallus gallus domesticus-The species name (in Latin) of chickens.

Grit-Sand or bits of crushed rock which chickens eat and store in their crop. Essential for proper digestion of food.

Hackles- The feathers around a chicken's neck.

Hen- A female chicken.

Incubation- The process of hatching a fertilized egg via the application of a constant heat source, frequent turning and the maintenance of a humid environment. Incubating baby chicks takes 21 days.

Layer Feed- A complete feed made especially for laying hens.

Molt- The chickens' yearly process of shedding its' feathers and re-growing new ones. During the molt, hens will not lay eggs.

Nest Box- A man-made box designed to encourage hens to lay eggs in it. Common wisdom is that one nest box is required for every 4-5 hens.

Non-setter-A chicken or breed of chicken that does not have a tendency or desire to incubate fertilized eggs or care for baby chicks. most hens today have had broodin and setting bred out of them

Ornamental Breed- A type of chicken bred mainly for its appearance and for show, not for egg production value or meat.

Pecking Order- The social organization created by a flock of chickens whereby a bird with a higher rank may peck a bird with a lower rank, but those with a lower rank may not peck those with a higher rank. (The bird with the highest rank can peck all the other birds; the one with the lowest rank can peck none.)

Poultry Show-Much like dog shows organized by the American Kennel Association, Poultry Shows are venues for judging poultry according to breed standards, organized by the American Poultry Association. They include chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and other poultry. (Unlike dog shows, you don't have to take your bird out and make it trot, sit, stand etc.)

Production Breed- A type of chicken bred specifically for its value as an egg layer.

Pullet- A juvenile hen.

Roost- 1. When chickens perch on a pole or branch, as in when they sleep.
2. A pole or branch that chickens perch on.

Rooster- A male chicken.

Roosting Pole- A man-made perch, usually constructed of wood and located inside the chicken coop, that chickens perch on while they sleep.

Rumpless- A breed that does not have tail feathers like normal chickens (such as the Araucana).

Run- An outdoor area where chickens can roam freely, usually attached to the chicken coop.

Saddle- The feathers on the lower part of a chicken's back.

Scratch- 1. A special treat that chickens love made of various grains. (Not to be substituted for feed.)
2. An instinctual behavior chickens perform with their claws to dig up bugs, worms, tiny rocks and other goodies they find in the soil.

Setter-A chicken or breed of chickens that has a tendency or desire to incubate a batch of fertilized eggs also called brooder

Sexing- A process by which the sex of a baby chick is determined.

Sex Link- A relatively new type of chicken whose sex is indicated as soon as they hatch by the color of their feathers. Sex Link females are known for excellent egg production and males as good "fryers".

Shanks- The bottom part of a chicken's legs.

Sickles- The tail feathers on a rooster.

Spur- An additional appendage-like protrusion on a rooster's shanks. (Used for fighting.)

Started Pullet- A juvenile hen between that has already started laying eggs.

Starter Feed- A complete feed formulated specifically for baby chicks.

Vent-The exernal opening of a chicken through which all waste matter and eggs pass.

Waterer- The container that holds and delivers water for your chickens.

Wattles- The two red, rubbery flaps of flesh on a chicken's neck.

Wheezer- A chicken's butt (colloquial).

Wormer- A medicine or treatment that rids animals of intestinal worms.

 

Why would you want to castrate a rooster? Oh I got another definition: Flogged- when a person is attacked by any member of the poultry family

 

i really dunno lol..., i have never seen a castrated rooster and as far as finding out the real reason all i have found is it makes them grow fatter, greasier n more tender ...some also say it reduces crowing but if you ask a vet that question they will tell you it doesnt.. ....
thanks for adding that hb gal, i completely forgot about that one lol

 

There are several methods in which you can go about getting some chickens to raise.

Most often a local feed and seed or farm supply store carries them in early spring. You can purchase them from there.They are generally baby chicks they have ordered in from a large hatchery and are a bit pricier than mail order, however they are on the spot buy n go .They generally carry a few different varieties and maybe if you are lucky, they will even know what breed, etc that they are. My word of caution if you go this route is that they are in a place where oodles of people are in and out and often around other various critters, therefore, they may not be healthy .

Check local papers or market bulletins, there are often ads in them for chicks or chickens in those. Again, they are coming from another homestead or farm and could carry disease etc with them and unless you know what to look for, how would you know if they are not healthy. It is very important that if you purchase animals from another homestead or store, auction etc that you quarantine them away from any other stock or animals you have until they are proven to be healthy.


If you have an incubator already at hand then you can order fertilized eggs and then incubate them once they arrive home. If raising animals and using incubators is new to you then this may be a difficult task for a beginner and could turn what should be fun and exciting into something that was not a good experience and ruin things in you r mind about chickens.

My favorite way in the home environment is to mail order the babies. Aint nothing like having the local post office call you at 6 am saying "get these things the hell outta here n hurry before we go postal!" There is really something great about watching very young chicks . You learn the the habits, eating rituals, etc as they grow and get to see each stage before attempting to hatch some eggs of your own or having a flock arrive partially grown into adulthood. Mail order chicks are hatched and out n gone for delivery within 8 hours generally. They also vaccinate for one of the bird diseases before they are shipped or you can choose not to have this done it is up to you . They are generally there at the post office within a day, so your babies are around 24-36 hours old when they arrive and they come hungry. Here are a few things to remember about mail order chicks. They most often come in groups of 25, . Be sure and look through and read closely about how the critters are shipped ... I can remember my mothers first order of chicks, being the city gal she was,,, she didnt bother looking very close at how they were shipped and when she thought she ordered a dozen chicks, she order 300.Our local post office was not happy to say the least, but atleast it was a farm town and they were used to such craziness, just not to the extent mom had gone n done.We were also not prepared for that many. Often times they will ship several extra baby roosters to keep the others warm in the box they are shipped in(especially in winter). They place a large green stripe on the extras they toss in so that you know they are extra and roosters and not lil aliens that managed to somehow infiltrate the box along its route to you. The green wears off after a while and then leaves you in a quandary as to who is who until the bad guys learn to crow,(, that is another adventure...).

The only company i have ever used to buy chicks thru mail is McMurray . There are several others out n about , i have just never tried them so I can not say as to how good a service they provide. McMurray has always been very helpful and they have a great catalog as well as phone service with real people on the other end and have never had any problems whatsoever with any poultry i have ordered from them. Have a look around at some of the different places and stores and go with what feels right for you...One last benefit from mail ordering the chicks is that it gives a little bit of time for you to prepare the nursery in advance of them coming.


Here is a pretty good site for the US and Canada . It gives lists of many different suppliers of poultry in general as well as equipment.The main site also has several active forums, links , pics and products.

http://www.poultryconnection.com/hatchery.html

 

hey yall, our main computer had a nervous breakdown n is goin to comp doc for a couple few days. All my info is on there but i will post the next classes asap.

 

Looking forward to the next class. I have ordered a catalog from McMurray's and called my local co-op. The lady there said that if I didn't want to order 25 chicks to come in around March and let her know what breed and how many I want and she will add mine to her order. She said that all the ladies that work at the co-op order their chicks together early in the spring. I have bought Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living and it has a lot of info. Thanks for the inspiration and knowledge dilligaf!

 

that is really awesome hb gal,,, makes it nice to have it so that you can pick a couple of one or another and get them rather than having to order 25 of all the same type ,,, have you any sort breed type you are leaning toward or not got that far yet?

Setting up nursery for chicks is really quite simple and basic. As long as it is warm , dry and giving them a source of food and water, chicks are happy.

A large box ,wading pool , wash tub, etc will do or a corralled area in a large coop will work nicely. A heat lamp above them and a thermometer, feeders and waterer's, a bit of bedding and you are good to go. I start chicks out at 95 degrees Fahrenheit under the lamp. The lamp should not take up the entire area, but only an area large enough for the babies to huddle up under and sleep and be warm. They need to be able to move about and not be under the light at all times. Each week drop the temperature by 5 degrees until you are down to 70.In cold weather i leave the light on even after they are down to the 70 degree mark. This not only provides light, warmth, but you can manipulate the length of days for laying later on and some say that it cuts down on pecking. with the red heat lamps. Over the time i gradually increase the area in which i have them enclosed so to give them more room to grow and allow them to be real chickens.
For feeders and waterer's, once can buy commercially available models of both .Problem is, tiny peeps often cant reach into them in order to eat and sit in waterer's and feeders thereby pooping in both. I often use small lids for both purposes until they are big enough to use the store bought ones. As the chicks get older, recycle plastic coffee cans and use them as waterer's and scatter there food about there pen for them. They enjoy the scratching and picking things and it is instinct as well so i try and keep things as natural for them as i can.

When the new babies arrive , whether by box in mail or from a store etc, dip the beaks in a bit of sugared water as you place them in the corral or box you have made for them,, this not only shows them where there water is but sugar gives them a bit of energy after there travels. Keep an eye on them , and you will find any poor doers , those i either repeat dip process with or remove all together. Rarely is there a problem with the babies, They are amazingly adept at eating and drinking from very young age and do well in the living game.
A few things to watch with chicks. They are mean little creatures, not to you but amongst there own. They pick n drag each other around while young and yell and scream about it , it is normal. They grow out of the beat each other up for kicks thing over time(mostly)If after the first week they are still picking at one another they may be too crowded. This is a different picking than the baby hen pecking , after a day or two you will be able to identify the differences. Chicks are narcoleptic, they fall asleep while eating sitting and walking, they grow out of this as well within a few weeks. I must admit, this is one of the funniest n neat things with baby chickens and until i learned it was normal for them i was quite worried about my lazy falling down babies. They like to keep in a flock with others,,, if one gets separated you will know it and they are pretty good jumpers or squeezers at times. Finally, they are little and fragile, be very careful when handling and in the first few weeks of life adults only should handle them. Kids love to hug them and cuddle them and squeeze them and eventually kill them completely by accident. Watch where you walk , expect to trample at least one out of every twenty five chicks , it just happens. If you read books on raising chickens you may notice the amount of disease they have or can have , rare is it that they actually get any of these unless they are living in horrible conditions to begin with. Do not let the books scare you into thinking that you are bringing disease and pestulance by having chickens.

Here is an ideal set up for your new babies, remember you don't have to buy all these things, use what you have around and cater it to you and what you have that is suitable.