Names!!!-9.3.09

The chicks have their names. I don't know how we're going to keep track!

Chicks are HERE!!!-9.3.09

The chicks arrived at 8am this morning at our local post office. I quickly ran down and picked them up in a simple cardboard box. They were tweeting like crazy! No not on their cell phones lol. We immediately counted 26! Remember we had to order 25 and then as a surprise bonus they throw in one random rare chick, which you have to figure out the breed on your own. We are still trying to figure it out! Please make a comment at the bottom of the blog if you have any ideas or just want to add a comment!











Yesterday I picked up some essentials that I needed for the chicks arrival. For food I got a 50lbs bag of organic chick starter feed from Vermont called Green Mountain Feeds and also a 2 foot feeder. For water I picked up a 1 gallon chick waterer. For light I got a 250 watt red heat bulb and a drop light. And for bedding I got some wood shavings. Total was about $40.













Last night I designed a simple wooden pen for them and ran over to home depot to pick up the material. I grabbed some simple compressed wood that they use for shelving and also some banister posts. With some screws and a power screw driver, I quickly assembled their living quarters for the next few weeks. I even included a divider, which I thought will be helpful for cleaning and space control. Total was about $30.




























Dave was in a hurry to get to work but he was anxious to meet the chicks. He helped me one by one dip their beaks into water. I added 12 tablespoons per gallon of water of organic sugar for extra energy. The chicks will be thirsty from being shipped and it's essential to rehydrate them and introduce them to the waterer. I also filled up their feeder with food and flipped on the red heat bulb! I also placed on the floor of their pen two layers thick of newspaper that will be used for the first few days. You want to use newspaper and spread some of the feed on it so the chicks immediately find the food. If you use wood shavings first, they may mistake them for food! It is amazing watching them explore. We also held them in our hands and let our goldendoodles greet them. Aubrey and Hanna watched over our every move from above the pen. They love to watch them tweet around and have spent the entire morning patiently waiting outside their door for a chance to visit them again. Check out their video below!

If you have any ideas on that surprise rare extra chick please make a comment!















Check out our video below!

Chickens!!!-9.1.09

Hi guys! My name is Matt and this is my very first blog: After reading please enjoy related content on the page and explore!!! Thanks in advance for your support and enjoy!

So my partner Dave and I have decided to get some chickens for our backyard. I thought it would be fun to document the entire experience from the very beginning. I will be uploading photos and blogging about the entire journey! I don't have any previous experience with chickens, but Dave actually grew up raising a dozen or more chickens. He was telling me that his family went to Agway and for a few dollars they bought a dozen fertilized eggs. They used an incubator until the chicks hatched, and then it takes between 1-4 months (depending on the breed) before they are fully established as a pullet (young hens that lay eggs). When they purchased the eggs from Agway, they weren't guaranteed the sex of the chicks. So some of their chicks were roosters. And everyone knows that roosters make a ton of noise!!! He often remembers how much fun it was to watch the chicks grow and lay eggs! So after hearing about Dave's interesting experience, I decided that we should try to raise some hens of our own.

We live in a small town metrowest of Boston on an acre of land with our two Goldendoodles, Aubrey and Hanna. After I did some research on the chicks, I decided to contact the town and find out if you need any sort of permit to raise chickens. And in fact, you do! So we filled out their application, drew out a plot plan and notified our neighbors by certified mail our intentions to have chickens for their fresh organic eggs. We then have to show up at a Board of Health meeting in town to finalize our application on Sept. 15th (I'll keep everyone posted on the progress).

Feeling anxious to start raising some chicks of our own, we found a great website: McMurrayHatchery.com. McMurray allows you to buy day old chicks ($2-3 per chick) and even pick your own sex. We wanted a few (6-12) hens; no roosters. Everyone always asks: "do you need a rooster for the hens to lay eggs?" And the answer is NO! :) We researched and picked out a variety of breeds, but found out that you have to buy at least 25!!!! What were we going to do with 25 chickens! So we made a few phone calls to family and friends and have decided to split some of the chicks :) Here is a breakdown of the chicks we picked out:

8 Araucanas/Americanas: The "Easter Egg Chicken", This unusual breed gets its name from the Indian tribe of Chile where they were first discovered. Araucanas lay beautiful colored eggs of blue-green shades from turquoise to deep olive. These natural Easter Eggs will amaze your friends and make a great "show and tell" project for school. They exhibit a wonderful combination of colors and color patterns and 10 or 20 of these birds make an absolutely beautiful laying flock that is extremely hardy and will be the talk of the town. Baby chicks come in all colors, plain and fancy, just like the adults. This is a unique breed and great fun to have when the colored eggs start coming.

8 Rhode Island Reds: This is one of the most famous and all time popular breeds of truly American chickens. Developed in the early part of this century in the state of the same name, they have maintained their reputation as a dual purpose fowl through the years. Outstanding for production qualities, they have led the contests for brown egg layers time after time. No other heavy breed lays more or better eggs than the Rhode Island Reds. Baby chicks are a rusty red color and the mature birds are a variety of mahogany red.


3 Barred Rocks: The Barred Rock is one of the all time popular favorites in this country. Developed in New England in the early 1800's by crossing Dominiques and Black Javas, it has spread to every part of the U.S. and is an ideal American chicken. Prolific layers of brown eggs, the hens are not discouraged by cold weather. Their solid plumpness and yellow skin make a beautiful heavy roasting fowl. Their bodies are long, broad, and deep with bred-in strength and vitality. These chickens are often called Plymouth Rocks, but this title correctly belongs to the entire breed, not just the Barred variety. Whatever you call them, you can't beat them for steady, reliable chickens. Baby chicks are dark gray to black with some white patches on head and body.

3 Red Star: Easy to raise, lays large brown eggs, and has a good feed conversion ratio. A "sex-link" chicken is one, which at time of hatch, can be sexed by its color. RED STAR: These hens will mature with feathers that are reddish brown with flecks of white throughout. The males are all white with nice yellow skin. (They will not retain the same characteristics in future.) At approximately 22 weeks these hens will start to lay and lay they will.


3 New Hampshire Reds: This breed originated in the state of New Hampshire at the hands of poultry farmers who started with R.I. Reds and by means of generation after generation of selective breeding intensified the characteristics of early maturity, rapid full feathering, and production of large brown eggs. McMurray improved their flocks with males from a New Hampshire breeder who described his birds as being especially endowed with "spizzerinktum"; and they were unusually handsome and vigorous. The mature birds are a rich chestnut red, of a somewhat lighter and more even shade than the R.I. Reds and the baby chicks are also a lighter red.

And the website has this great surprise bonus where they throw in one extra rare chick. They don't tell you what type or sex; it's a big surprise! Hopefully it's not a rooster. So the chicks are scheduled to be here later this week! Apparently you have to pick them up at your local post office. I'll keep everyone updated when the chicks arrive. We are now preparing for their arrival. We are following McMurray's great guide to chick care (http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chickcare.html):

WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

Friends - We have added the information below to help you get your baby poultry started correctly and to eliminate any potential problems that might arise. Please read this information carefully and be prepared when your baby poultry arrive. On the back of our order blank is a handy check list. Please use the check list to assure yourself that you have done everything correctly in preparing for your new arrivals.

THE CARE OF BABY CHICKS, TURKEYS, GUINEAS, PHEASANTS & PARTRIDGE
Poultry Need: Feed, Water, Heat, Light & Space.

FEED: Use a commercial chick starter for the first 8 weeks. On the first day cover the litter with newspaper and spread some feed on the papers and have your feeders full also. This will allow the new birds to find the feed. Use a 2 foot feeder for each 25 chicks. After the first day remove the papers from the starting area. Please refer to the order blank for feed protein levels for the type of poultry you are ordering.

WATER: Have a 1 gallon chick waterer for each 50 birds. DIP THE BEAK OF THE CHICK IN THE WATER BEFORE YOU TURN IT LOOSE. For the first 2 days add 3 tablespoons of table sugar to each quart of water for extra energy. For best results, have either Quik Chik, Broiler Booster, or Terramycin in the water. Your birds will be thirsty when you get them. A taste of water right away helps them to find more water soon. Most baby bird loss is caused because the bird doesn't start to eat or drink. Never let your bird run out of water.

HEAT: The temperature where the birds are should be 90 to 95 degrees for the first week. Reduce the temperature 5 degrees per week until you get to 70 degrees. Then they shouldn't need any more heat. A good source of heat is a 250 watt bulb. (Red bulbs are better than white. They cause less picking.) Hang it 18 inches from the floor. The temperature directly under the bulb will be higher than 90 degrees but the birds will adjust themselves to the area they like. Use 1 bulb for each 50 chicks in cold weather. Use 1 bulb for each 100 chicks in warm weather.

LIGHT: If you use a heat bulb, this will also serve as the light you need. Otherwise, be sure to give your birds light. Use a 75 watt bulb on dark days. Have a small light for night - 15 watts or similar - to keep them from piling.

SPACE: Try to provide 1/2 square foot per bird at the start. For starting 50 chicks use a draft shield (see below) and make a circle about 5 to 6 feet across. For 100 birds, make the circle 7 to 8 feet across.

OTHER IMPORTANT MATTERS
DRAFT SHIELD: Cardboard put in a circle about 12 inches high around the birds helps cut down drafts on the floor. Be sure the circle is large enough to allow the birds to get away from the heat if they want to.

LITTER: Wood shavings, rice hulls, or ground cobs make good litter. Do not use cedar chips,sawdust (It is too small and the birds may eat it instead of their food), or treated wood chips. Sand, straw, or dirt will also work but are not as good as the others. Put the litter all over the floor at least 1 inch thick. Keep it covered for the first day with newspapers to keep the chicks from eating the litter instead of the feed. To avoid possible leg problems, remove the papers after the first day for heavy breeds and meat birds and after the third day for lighter breeds.

GRIT: Starting the 3rd day sprinkle baby grit on the feed daily as if you were salting your food. Avoid putting too much at any one time as the bird may fill up on it instead of the feed.

PICKING: Baby birds will often pick each other if they are too hot, too crowded,or without fresh air. Occasionally bright light also causes them to pick. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to picking. Sometimes, however, they pick for no apparent reason. To stop it try putting in fresh green grass clippings several times a day and darken the room. As a last resort, debeaking might have to be done. Try cutting off about one-third of the top bill. Do not cut the lower bill, just the top one. To treat birds that have been picked, smear pine tar or black grease on the area injurePoultry Need: Feed, Water, Heat, Light & Space.

SPECIAL SITUATIONS AFTER THE CHICKS ARRIVE
IF THE BIRDS HAD A HARD TRIP: Instead of using the standard feed and water suggestions listed, try this: Put 6 more tablespoons of sugar in each gallon of water. Then mix some of this extra sweet water with some of your feed to make a soupy mix. Give your birds this special feed and water mix for 3 to 4 days to get them over the effects of shipping.

REAR END "PASTING UP": Sometimes the stress of shipping causes the manure to stick to the back of the bird. It is important to remove this daily. Pull off gently or, better yet, wash off with a cloth and warm water. It will disappear in a few days as the bird starts to grow.

CORNISH X ROCKS AND BARBECUE: Try starting these groups on broiler starter. (The higher protein seems to help them avoid leg problems.) We would also recommend you not let these birds eat all they want. Fill the feeders each day and let the feed run out in the late afternoon. Research has shown these birds will grow just a fraction slower but have considerably less problems by not feeding them continuously. Also add extra amount of vitamins from the start. We recommend either Quik Chik or Broiler Booster in the water from start to finish.

AFTER FOUR WEEKS:
1. Increase floor area to 3/4 square feet per bird.
2. Increase feeders to provide 2-1/2" to 3" of space per bird.
3. Increase waterers to one 5-gallon fount per 100 birds.
4. Make sure grit hopper is filled with proper sized grit. Check with your feed man.
5. Install roosts at back of brooder area. Allow four inches per bird with roost poles six inches apart.
6. Open windows in day-time. Leave only partly open at night.
7. Prevent water puddles around founts. Place founts on low wire platforms.
8. Birds can range outside on warm, sunny days, but only if clean range is available.