Thinking 'bout chickens

[bluelacedredhead]

Chick Supplies:
Hanging brooder lamp and heat bulb.
Brooder area. I use a 40 gallon aquarium lined with non slip runner for small batches of newborns up til one week of age.But large plastic storage containers work well, as do heavy cardboard boxes.
Slippery surfaces are difficult for them to walk on and can cause leg problems.

After that first week, when I am certain that they are eating and drinking and progressing as they should, I move them to a 3 x 4 plywood box with a hardware cloth lid (with heat).
And a Very Important Note: Brooder area must be free of drafts.

Chick Starter Feed. There is medicated (you won't need it) and non-medicated. Also, pellet or crumbles. Crumbles for brand new chicks; graduate later to pelleted feed if you like? I don't like it, but that's just personal preference.
I give water soluble vitamins in their water for the first two weeks, just to give them an extra boost.
Chick waterer
Chick feeder or a low sided dish that doesn't tip easily for when they get inside it to scratch and eat....

And here's a decent link that can answer many of the questions for someone just starting out
msucares.com/4h_Youth/4hpoultry/index.html

[flowerpower]

Blue, once the chicks get to the store here, they will be given medicated food. You think I shoold go with non-medicated for them? (You think I would know these things after the many hrs I have "forced" Blue to talk poultry. lol )

I think I am going to use a tote this yr. Easier to clean and not drafty. I just have to decide on a pick-up date. I am getting 15 Gold Laced wyandotte pullets. They said 90% accuracy on sexing. I actually wouldn't mind if one was a roo. Its such a pretty bird.

[bluelacedredhead]

Good Choice FP!!! I taught you well When you get your babies, I'll tell you how to sex them. Rose comb breeds are easy to do, even at hatch (if you have both sexes to compare).

Medicated feed is used in our society because there's nothing like "preventative medicine"...
So what happens when the chickens become immune to medication??

Amprolium (what's in the chick feed) is actually reasonably safe as far as veterinary meds go. Quick to flush out of the system without residual effect as far as we are led to believe.

But I was taught that feeding medicated starter was for use on farms where poultry has been raised in previous years, and in large quantities. HoosierHeights has not had poultry before so he does not need to use it. And you've only had what, 6 chickens?? So you don't need it either.

Now as much as I hate using meds, I would recommend amprolium laced feed when raising turkey poults and for twice the length of time that I would use it for chickens. Turkeys are much more susceptible to illness and I've found that 6 weeks on Medicated Turkey Starter or Game Bird Starter makes a world of difference with them. It could also be the higher protein in the starter that is making the difference, but in some areas (such as the one where I live), Turkey Starter is hard enough to find, much less without meds in it.

[flowerpower]

ok, I will go with the non-med feed for the chicks. My adult hens do not like pelleted food at all. They will only eat the crumbles. I have them on the Purina Layena. I am going to stick with that with the new birds also. My birds look excellent and the eggs are great.

I have no idea how old the turkeys will be when I pick them up. I may be getting adult females and a baby Tom. Or all babies. Not sure yet. I thought 2 females and one male would be good for me. How old do they have to be for Rita to sex them?

[bluelacedredhead]

Well if Rita is as poor at sexing poults as I am, they'll be gobbling before she knows for certain what they are

[flowerpower]

Well she is attending a poultry show in my county in the fall. She may have to bring a young Tom then. But I am sure I'll be able to work something out with her so I can get what I want.

[hoosierheightsfarm]

I don't know about all this talk of sexing chickens....makes me kinda uncomfortable.

How many chickens should I buy to supply my family of three, my parents and my sisters family of 5 with eggs; and the occasional chicken dinner?

And what is this you are talking about "straight run" or "sexed run" or something like that? Is that when you know what sex the chickens are before you buy them? Why would you do it any other way?

Thanks,
Patrick

[plantsnobin]

Patrick, sexing chickens is just determining males from females. When you buy chickens 'straight run' that just means that they pick the chicks without sexing them, you get what you get, which will usually run about 50/50. You can buy females only, but it will cost you a little more, and you may still end up with the occasional male. Hatcheries (most) require at least a 25 chick minimum, so that they stay warm enough during transport. You can always buy 50, butcher the males when they are big enough and have plenty of hens to keep you in eggs. Go the the Sandhill Preservation website-they have kept track of the laying numbers of different breeds, very helpful info if you don't know what breeds you want. It is probably too late to order chicks from them though, they sell out pretty fast, and they don't raise large numbers of any one breed. I have chicks coming from them in April, Rhode Island Reds, and then again in July for some other rare breeds. You do have to keep chicks very warm till they get bigger, last year I used a round galvanized tub as a brooder. Worked very well. It takes them 4-5 months to start laying, so there is a lag between buying them and getting to eat eggs. If you did want to buy some already laying, I have a few that I would be willing to sell for $8 each. Of course, if you wanted that nasty Columbian Wyandotte rooster, I would throw him in for free.

[hoosierheightsfarm]

I was going to check out Orschelin next week, let my daughter go and pick them out. She loves to look at the chicks. And I can get everything I'll need there at one time. I got a big plastic tote from the Evil Empire the other night to keep them in. My dad and I finished the other half of my shed this week. Another 8'x12' to put my stuff in. Presently my chickens!

Thanks for the info.
Your rooster has never given me any trouble....??

[plantsnobin]

That fat bastard got me tonight. I had water in one hand, rabbit feed in the other, didn't want to spill and he took advantage of that-I think he knows when I have my hands full that I am fair game. I finally got to the shovel, knocked him in the head a few times, he just keeps coming. It is amazing. He is either extraordinarily tough, or unbelievably stupid. Chicken and dumplings. He will still be tough, but satisfying.

[hoosierheightsfarm]

You didn't say how many chicks you thought I should get. Any idea?

[houseodessey]

HH:

You don't say if you eat eggs every day or what so I'm going to assume that your family eats 1 dozen/week, your parents eat1/2 dozen and your sister's family eats 1 1/2 dozen. From personal experience, I have found that my hens, ranging from 2 yrs to 6 mos, give me an egg a day April through October GENERALLY and then about 1/2 that in the winter here in TX. If you want three dozen eggs/week year round, you'll need at least 6 healthy hens in summer and 9 or 10 in the winter. You could hatch the extras if you had 9 or 10 laying all summer and get plenty of replacement layers and roos for sunday dinners. I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but these are my observations, thus far. I hope this helps.

[flowerpower]

Here's someone you don't want o find in the barn if you have birds.




It was sleeping in the pig's stall on sat night. I guess it chased a pigeon in the barn and couldn't get out. I only have a small opening in the back. I am pretty sure it is a baby red tailed hawk. Luckily, I have trained the hens to go into a separate area at night.

[plantsnobin]

FP, that is a great photo. I know they would eat my chicks in a heartbeat, but I have to say I like hawks. Here, the rooster makes a special noise if a hawk is around to warn everyone of the danger. It seems to be different than any other sound he makes. I wonder if that is the sound he will make as I end his reign of terror......Patrick, I don't know if they enforce it, but Rural King flyer says they require a purchase of at least 25 birds minimum, due to 'company regulations'. Don't know what that nonsense is about. If they were being shipped, maybe, but not if you are taking them home with you. Anyway, I think 25 is a reasonable number to start with, as there will probably be loses, plus they would be straight run. Butcher the roosters, and that will provide a few meals for your extended family. Make sure you put down bedding in the plastic tote, chicks can't be on a slick surface, their legs will spraddle, and you will have to put them out of their misery.

[bcday]

FP, great pic, but it's not a redtail. That is either a small male Cooper's or a sharp-shinned hawk.

I am guessing that it was chasing a small bird such as a sparrow or a starling. A healthy adult chicken and even a pigeon is a bit much for a sharpshin to handle, but if the hawk was young and inexperienced (and hungry) it might try a time or two and be rewarded with a few feathers for its trouble.