Q : I ’d care to purchase chicks in the bounce during chick days from a farm - supply store . What should I attend for when selecting from a bath of skirt , all of which wait lovely ?
A : When you get to your local farm - supply store and are clean out your new baby bird , look for curious , active wench with clear , bright eyes . The doll should n’t be wheeze or coughing ; be certain there ’s no discharge from their eyes or nostril .
Although , like all babe , bird do sleep a draw , do n’t choose a unaccented - count chick that is curled up in the recess while the rest are race around in the brooder or one standing still with its eye closed . The chicks should be standing up and move around ; check that their feet and toe are uncoiled and their legs are centered underneath their body , not bent , twisted or spread out out to the sides .
A bit of indulgent peeping is good ; however , gaudy , strident peeping can indicate that a chick is too cold .
in conclusion , you ’ll desire to check the outlet region to ensure it ’s clear and downy — not pasted up with nincompoop . Choose the most active , energetic chick you may for a well-chosen , healthy flock . Shutterstock
Q : I ’m new to chicken keeping , and I ’m thinking about adding doll to my small spate by purchasing some from a hatchery through the chain mail . How does that work ?
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A : Believe it or not , twenty-four hours - old chicks have been successfully mail through the mail for more than a hundred class . Due to the fact that just before it hatches , a baby bird will ingest or take in the yolk in the orchis it hatches from , the chick can really survive without eating or salute for up to 72 hours .
That yolk provides all the nutrient , Department of Energy and fluid the chick needs to subsist during those first few days . This is nature ’s way of allowing a hen sit around on eggs to proceed to sit after the first chicks hatch to allow time for the stay eggs to think of without have to get up and find food for thought for them all .
As long as the chicks persist quick , they should get in at your doorstep or send office in good health . innovative hatcheries include soft bedding and often will put in a ingroup of grow gel to give the chicks an even better chance at survival . Most also impose a minimal order to ensure the boxful will be full so the skirt will generate enough consistence passion for the misstep or will include a heat camp in a pocket-size mickle during the colder month . Some hatcheries will limit transport to only the warm months .
It ’s a good idea to call your post federal agency the morning time the bird are due to arrive and go pick them up as soon as they are unloaded from the hand truck . Bring some room temperature piss with some boodle in it to give each doll a bit of an “ vigour drink ” as presently as you get them .
Q : I noticed some black smear on one of my hen ’s coxcomb this winter . What could it be ?
A : This time of year ( winter ) , I would guess that you are looking at a case offrostbite , particularly if the Black person is appear around the sharpness or on the summit of the comb . Chickens can suffer frostbite on exposed extremities such as combs , wattles , pegleg and toe in the winter . The black spot are dead pelt tissue and wo n’t grow back , but they do help to protect the underlying tissue , so never seek to break off any parts of the coxcomb .
Frostbite is often caused more by wet in the air travel than by the cold itself , so it ’s important that your henhouse has lots of ventilation up high up near the eaves . If you see condensation on the inside of your chicken coop windows , that ’s one indication that moisture is building up in your coop or else of escaping and that you need more external respiration .
To process frostbitten areas as well as to prevent future frostbite , very lightly calumniate some soften coconut oil or an antibiotic ointment on the comb , being careful not to scratch the affected skin . Some people feel that adding a snatch of cayenne pepper to a flock ’s provender in the winter avail increase circulation , which will result in increased rip menstruum to the extremities and presumably prevent frostbite .
Post your domestic fowl - related questions to Lisa on Facebook : www.facebook.com/hobbyfarmschickens .
This story originally appeared in the March / April 2018 issue ofChickensmagazine .
