Brian, head for the closest feed store and ask when the peeps arrive. They should be about ready to show up any day.
For peeps (the little yellow fur balls fresh out of an egg) you need a safe warm place for them to grow large enough to toss outside. Takes seven or eight weeks. I started with a low cardboard box 18x34x18 tall and for the first few days left it uncovered, since the peeps are not really flying around. Get a cover of screening to keep them inside once they can hop out. While they grow, you can build them a chicken home. Buy a book on raising chicken at the feed store. There are some prefab homes or others that are used to let the chickens work your lawn. Move it every day and they hunt for bugs and are fully protected inside a mesh cage. I free range mine and they come home to roost at night. You need an IR lamp to keep them warm, a watering dish and some chick starter. I use pine shavings since they do not smell strong like cedar. These things poop a storm, so you need to clean the box daily giving fresh food and water. The lamp is used to keep their home at around 95*F for a week, then drop it to 90F next week. Then 10F lower each week until you hit room temp or 65F and outdoor temps are at 65F for most of the day. You need to get at least two or three, so that they are not lonely and have a flock. I go for four at a time because there are bound to be cockerels in the lot and you get to eat them or pawn them off on farmers once they decide to crow. Roosters are usually larger and more confident than a hen as chicks. With all your land, you can free range your flock. Best thing to do is hold the peeps every day, cooing at them, talking to them. Accustomed to your touch and voice they will come running when you are around. Let them grow large enough go outside on spring sunny days to roam while you sit close and protect them. You are the mother hen who they will look to for protection. Do this regularly and in varied spots in the yard and they will learn what is "their" yard. Coyote, racoon, eagles and other predators love to snag a chicken. If they have a safe place to roost at night and a box to leave you eggs, the hens are happy as can be. If there are dogs or cats around, a full size chicken can usually handle herself and will give the critters something to think about next time. Chicken will eat anything that does not eat it first. And having seen Jurassic Park, these things are really miniature velocaraptors. Love to eat meat. Right now I have three hens. They all lay for me and I have over a dozen eggs a week to get rid of. It takes 22 weeks for the hens to grow old enough to lay an egg. No need or desire for a rooster unless you want to breed more chickens. Hens will lay an egg most days as long as there is enough ambient light for them to think it is late spring or summer. Once it gets too dark, they stop. Then start again when light returns. A hen ovulates until she goes through the change. JUST LIKE A WOMAN. No need for men for women to pop an ovum out. Mate a hen and she will hold sperm for 90 days and lay fertilized eggs. When winter comes and they stop, those fertile eggs sit there until spring. Then you get more peeps. Fresh eggs are exceedingly eggy compared to store bought. Have a plate of fresh egg and you know the junk from the store is cardboard. Much like fresh out of the oven bread is nothing like wonder. clay On 25 Feb 2008, at 01:03, Zoltan Finks wrote: > Only recently I've had a very mild interest in the thought of keeping > chickens. So you are allowed to do it in the middle of the city? > Then we > could probably get away with it on our 1.3 acres. We are only 2 > miles from > downtown but it's a pretty rural area. > I'm surprised to hear of the social nature of the birds, and what > nice pets > they make. > > Do you use them for eggs? I'd love the cheap source of food (no pun > intended). > > We had a friend back in MN that had several types of animals. He > brought > some duck eggs in occasionally. They tasted a bit more "eggy" than > chicken > eggs, but I liked that. They were a bit larger too. > > What are the negatives or hard parts about keeping chickens? How > many do you > have? > > So chickens lay eggs on their own without being mated by a male? > May be a > stupid question, but I grew up a city boy. > > Brian > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
