Showing posts with label Rural Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rural Living. Show all posts
Important Things To Know About Baby Chicks
However there are some things that you must know about chickens before you actually own them. This goes for any type of pet that you plan on raising.
Understanding these things will help you to keep your chicken friends healthy and happy. One great thing about having chickens for pets is that they require very minimal attention, unlike a pet dog that can be very demanding.
The little attention that your pet chicken does need however is extremely important, such as keeping the coops clean, daily playtime, feeding and water. Chickens have many hidden dangers, and many of them can be prevented as long as you offer them a clean coop, proper food and daily water. Let's take a look at how to raise chickens when they are just baby chicks.
Chicks are absolutely adorable and generally during Easter time you will find that they are sold in many stores. These little baby chicks are nearly irresistible. Their fluffy fuzzy yellow fur is so soft and cuddly and definitely increases the desire to own one. But there are some things that you must understand to offer them the proper care.
These little baby chickens will need to be kept in a warm area. The sufficient temperature will need to be between 90 and 100 degrees, and this should decrease 5 degrees each week.
You need to house the chick in a box that they cannot hop out of and put a 100-watt bulb at one end of the box. You will not need to heat the entire box but they need an area to warm themselves.
Chicks require time to play with you and also need to have time outside to play. When your chick goes outside you will need to be sure that they are in a secure area because they do like to explore and can find their way into a bit of trouble.
It's not easy to catch them and if they have a large area to run it will be much harder to catch them. So the smaller the place the easier it will be.
It's absolutely amazing to watch these little baby chicks grow up into adult chickens. You'll find that as babies they begin the pecking order. This is how they determine who the boss is. It's funny to watch as they flap their little wings and circle around one another.
Chickens are not only great pets that will offer you endless amounts of fun, but they will benefit your organic garden as well. You can use their manure in your compost pile and it will definitely improve the growth of your garden naturally.
I would suggest if you make the decision to purchase a chick this Easter holiday that you buy more than one of them. Chickens are social animals and enjoy playing with other people and also more chickens. Playing with other chickens will help to keep the chickens occupied and offer them warmth during the colder months.
You can find books right near the chicks in the store when you purchase them. It's a good idea to pick one up, or you can learn more about raising them by researching it on the internet. These baby animals need to be taken care of properly in order to make it a full grown healthy adult chicken.
BlueWaterArticles.com: - Important Things To Know About Baby Chicks
About the Author
Duncan Carver is the author of the free Chicken Keeping Secrets newsletter that teaches you how to keep happy, healthy, egg laying chickens in your own backyard chicken coop or hen house. If you are interested in keeping chickens at home subscribe free at... http://www.chickenkeepingsecrets.com
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Chicks - Guide To Raising Baby Chicks
Raising baby chickens. A quick guide to keeping and raising chicks. This video shows the basic requirements of chicks for their first 5-8 weeks (by which time they should get their full feathers). They will grow quite quickly (and so will the size of their brooder). Once they have their full feathers they will be able to move into their chicken coop. For more tips and info about raising and keeping chickens visit :
http://successwithpoultry.blogspot.com
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A Beginners Guide to Raising Baby Chickens
If you have the space and decide to take the plunge then you need to be prepared for your new little pets. Chickens are fairly easy to take care of but they do have needs. No matter if you buy your baby chickens, hatch them from eggs at home via an incubator or brooding hens, they have requirements.
What you will need for starting out:
A. A place to live. In other words, a brooder, or cage, or holding box. This can be as simple as a plastic container or cardboard box. If raising with a hen, I prefer a cage with a wire bottom so you are able to clean more frequently.
B. A source of heat. Maintaining temperatures of 90 degrees the first week and then dropping by 5 degrees following weeks until you reach the temperature outside. If they are being raised with the mother hen, she takes care of the temperature for you.
C. Water and food. Little chicks are usually started out on chick starter in the medicated or non-medicated type; and there are several brands available for you to choose from. If the waterer happens to be a fairly large size where the chicks can stand in the water, some recommend putting marbles in it so the chicks will not drown.
Some of the greatest entertainment comes from watching these little chickens grow. And grow they do! Every day it seems there are changes in features, size, and feathers. By five to six weeks they should have all their feathers and are ready to be moved from the brooder.
Some things a new owner might not be aware of:
1. Chickens have an area called a crop and they store feed in it to be digested. It is located at the base of the chicken's neck and bulges after the bird has eaten. Chickens don't have teeth and don't chew; the food and grit get ground up by the crop.
2. Chickens love dust baths and so do baby chickens. You might see them lying in their feed (if the bowl is large enough) or in the shavings in the bottom of the brooder flopping around. This is the beginning of their bathing habits.
3. A fairly common problem in newly hatched chicks is pasting up. The sign of pasting is droppings that stick to the bird's rear end until the vent gets pasted shut. To ensure they do not die from this, gently wipe their rear end with a damp, warm paper towel. By the time your chicks are one week old, pasting up should no longer be a problem.
4. Chicks do not need to eat as soon as they hatch. For the first two days of life they can survive on residual yoke, which is why newly hatched chicks are able to survive being shipped across the country.
5. Pecking order starts young. They start fluffing up flapping at each other and circling each other while the others gather around and watch. Looks like they are doing the tango but no, they are determining who is the boss and in what order.
6. Clean water and brooder daily. For day old chicks, line the bottom with paper towels for the first few days while they get their footing to help avoid leg problems. Then you can switch over to a couple inches of pine shavings.
7. Chickens are social animals and enjoy being with others. Birds of a feather flock together.
Chickens are very addictive. With the entertainment they offer and the ease of caring for them, you will be ordering online or back at the store before you know it. A little time spent in preparation will make sure your first flock is an all around pleasant experience.
Carole DeJarnatt lives in Florida and raises a variety of hens, baby chickens, and a few roosters. She shares her learning experiences and helps to educate others on how to get started and the many benefits of raising backyard chickens. Visit her website Fowl Visions where you will learn more about raising chickens and backyard birding. http://www.fowlvisions.com
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/a-beginners-guide-to-raising-baby-chickens-533860.html
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How To Raise Chickens
Whether you have chosen to raise chickens as pets, food, or for game there are certain factors you need to keep in mind when beginning your project. Because they are relatively easy to maintain, chickens have long been the first choice for most people attempting to raise their own food. A decision must be made early on, preferably before acquiring your flock, whether you are going to use them for eggs, food, or both.
The first step in preparing for your new animals is making sure there is ample room for the number you plan on acquiring. The chicken house does not require anything fancy or specialized, only safe, dry, and clean. You will need to include perches for night time roosting as well as nesting boxes for them if you plan on collecting eggs. Including a cover on your pen from chicken wire, or whatever you choose will protect them from flying predators and also keep them safely inside of the enclosure. When choosing the location for the chicken, try to allow for ample grass areas as well. If the coop is roughly eight feet by twelve feet, you will need to have approximately double the amount of grassy area to suit. The chickens will probably eat the grass, and they need this area to catch bugs and scratch in the soil.
Offering easy access to clean food and water is imperative to their general health and you can find and water dispensers at most feed stores. These are designed with cleanliness and sanitation in mind. Depending on the type of hens you are going to have, there are different style feeders to suit any special needs. The food used to feed them can be obtained at feed stores as well, and can be chosen to also suit the brood you acquire. Whether you have smaller hens or larger ones, they will need supplements as well as the addition of certain vitamins to aid in producing healthier eggs for human consumption. Grit aids in digestion, and crushed oyster shell helps their eggs develop strong shells as well. These items are all available at feed stores also.
Choosing your hens is strictly up to you, and since there are such an extremely large amount of different varieties, the choices are nearly endless. A little research will go a long way in aiding you in your choices, and educating yourself on the best brooding hens, or best producers, etc. will also benefit you when the time comes to choose your breeds. Before deciding on whether or not you will have a rooster, it is imperative that you consider all aspects of having one. A rooster is not necessary for the hens to lay their eggs, the eggs will simply not be fertilized, however they will continue to lay regardless of whether or not there is a rooster present. Keep in mind that roosters are strutting loud creatures, and can cause problems for you if you live in a relatively busy or crowded area. Close neighbors may not enjoy the early morning noise or the annoyance of hearing a rooster so frequently, so remember to think it completely through before purchasing one. Finding some excellent information before proceeding with your plans is wise and can give you some of the best results. You can find all your chickens and many other animals and birds at www.chickenauctions.com LOOK A THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CHICKENS NOW!
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How to Build a Backyard Chicken Coop
Growing chicken is not only a great experience for families with children, but also an excellent way to get fresh eggs, remove bugs from your yard, and get some much needed natural fertilizer for your garden. In order to provide the best environment for your home grown chicken, you should learn how to build a backyard chicken coop. The process is simple, but you need to make sure you have everything you need.
This is where your chickens will eat and sleep. Your coop will also need to keep them safe from potential predators. It is possible to buy a pre-made chicken coop and that is a good option for you if you have the money and don't have the time to build one on your own.
The first thing you need to do is come up with a plan. It is important to take a count of how many chickens are going to be in the coop as well as how large they will get when they reach maturity.
Other considerations are:
- How many nests you plan on putting in
- How many feeders you will need room for
- Where to put water and how many you need
- How many windows will give your chickens enough sunlight
Beyond choosing exactly what you'll need to go in your chicken coop and how much room you will need it is also helpful to make sure you choose a good terrain to build on. Definitely don't choose one that is hilly or rocky. Also, consider an area that will have the right sunlight conditions and keep the number of threats to a minimum. Be sure you have more than enough space cleared to build on.
After you're sure of those basics you can really begin to plan. Draw up a blueprint of your chicken coop. You need to draw to scale so you can make sure all your measurements will be accurate. Include all of the components like windows, feeders, and nests. This will help you get a visual on what the outcome will be.
Once you finished drawing your plans up you can start to buy the materials. At the bare minimum you will need:
- 2 X 4 wood pieces
- Concrete cinder blocks
- Chicken wire
- Insulation
- Nails and screws
- Saw
- Hammer
- Anything else you have included in your plans
Now the real fun can begin! Once you have your plan and your materials you can start to build your backyard chicken coop. Follow your plan and put in extra effort to make sure everything is sturdy. Do remember to leave areas for ventilation but also seal everything up to keep predators out.
It's not hard to learn how to build a backyard chicken coop, and the end result will be perfect for you. Soon enough you'll have chickens in your backyard and you can brag to friends and family about the wonderful coop you built.
Be sure to visit http://www.betterbackyards.com to learn more about how to create the backyard of your dreams.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adriana_Copaceanu
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Raising Chicken Tips: Requirements for Building a Coop
A coop is what you normally call a chicken’s house. It’s their kingdom! A hen’s castle. So you have to make sure to keep their house maintained at a four star accreditation for this will help the chickens grow healthy and happy. Therefore, to keep it the way it should be, there are specific requirements to cope up with to build a coop that will satisfy both you and your chickens. You, the poultry owner, of all people should understand this.
Requirement #1
Regarding its design, the coop must be secured from any kind of predator. Every single angle in the pen – sides, below and above, must be structured to withstand the wrath and longing of predators who are always on the lookout for a free meal. When selecting a wire mesh, be sure it is the right one. Predators are more than one. They scour within the area of your coop unnoticed just waiting for the time when they can attack. You have to make sure that the coop is impenetrable because some predators like raccoons just reach out for their prey, easily.
Requirement #2
In connection with requirement number one, this is a continuation. Aside from predators, you have to secure the coop from those nasty rats. They burrow through the ground and come up from below. If the coop floor is not blocked, these rodents will slip into the hen’s quarters. Rodents are attracted to the food you’re giving your chickens and the droppings they excrete.
What’s more devastating is that these pesky rats love eggs. So whenever laying season comes, they gather too. Want to get rid of them? Good idea. But prevention is better than cure. That is why preventing them to come into the pen is better that getting rid of their presence completely. All you need to do is construct a floor within the pen, otherwise, bury a fence about 12 inches deep around the hen’s house. Be sure that the materials you will use for the fence and the floor is thick or hard enough for them to impossibly bite through.
Requirement #3
The way you build your coop must not be drafty or breezy. Subsequently, seasons will change and so would the weather. That is why; your coop must be able to endure any kind of natural effects.
Requirement #4
Roosting poles must be provided for your hens to slumber. It must have an approximate 2-inch wide rounded edges. You allot an 8 to 10 inch space between every bird. Put nest boxes to encourage egg laying. One nest box is equivalent to three to four chickens. Situate the boxes inches above the ground. Do not let it touch the soil. Place these nesting boxes somewhere private where no one can bother them while they’re doing their thing. Safety is the very first policy one should follow.
Requirement #5
Your coop must be roomy. Spacious. You have to allot at least 3 square feet for every bird. There should also be space where the feeder and the waterer can hang to which is 7-8 inches above the ground.
Requirement #6
The coop must be accessible for the owner’s sake ONLY. Predators and rodents not allowed. Easy accessibility can help you clean the coop so that bacteria and bugs do not fester.
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