All posts tagged: California hatchery

Chick Body Parts

Baby chicks, like all birds, have a unique anatomy that is adapted for their survival and growth. It is fun to see them shift and change over each week. For the first few weeks of life here are the different visible body parts of a baby chick:

  1. Beak: The beak of a baby chick is a sharp and pointed structure that is used for pecking and foraging. In the first three days of life the beak will also have an egg tooth attached to it which is a hard extra piece to the beak which helps the chick break out of its shell. The egg tooth falls off naturally.
  2. Eyes: Baby chicks have large, round eyes that are located on either side of their head. They are equipped with excellent vision that helps them find food and stay safe. Fun fact: a chickens eyeballs do not move, instead they have to turn their head to see – this is why the birds have such long bendable necks.
  3. Comb: The comb is a fleshy structure located on top of the baby chick’s head. It helps regulate the bird’s body temperature and is also used to attract mates.
  4. Wattles: Wattles are fleshy, elongated structures that hang from the baby chick’s chin. Like the comb, they help regulate the bird’s body temperature and are also used in mating displays.
  5. Neck: The neck of a baby chick is a slender, flexible structure that connects the head to the body.
  6. Wings: Even as babies, chicks have small wings that are covered in soft feathers. These wings will eventually grow and allow the bird to fly.
  7. Breast: The breast of a baby chick is the large, meaty area located on the front of the bird’s body. It is a popular part of the chicken that is often eaten.
  8. Legs and Feet: Baby chicks have two legs and two feet, each with three toes. The feet are scaly and equipped with sharp claws that are used for scratching and digging.
  9. Vent: The vent is the opening located at the base of the baby chick’s tail. It is used for excreting waste and if your chick is a female this is the same place that eggs will come from.
  10. Feathers: Baby chicks are covered in soft, downy feathers that provide insulation and protection. As the bird grows, these feathers will be replaced with adult feathers. The adult feathers will be the traditional style of feathers you see on chickens which will cover their downy fluff underneath 🙂

Understanding the different body parts of a baby chick is important for anyone who is planning to raise these birds. By learning about their anatomy, you can better care for them and ensure their health and well-being. It is useful to also know the correct names for the body parts. Happy chick raising!

alchemist_farmChick Body Parts
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How many chicks should a beginner start with?

This is an excellent question! The answer ultimately lies in asking yourself why you are keeping chickens? Is It for pets? Pest control? Egg production?

If the answer is eggs for you and your family then the question of how many chicks to start with lies in how many eggs you would like to be receiving per day when they are old enough to lay.

Baby chicken chicks are sold in two ways, “sexed” and “straight run” the sexed chicks are sold as guaranteed males or females. Straight run chicks do not reveal their gender upon hatch and are sold with a 50/50 chance of being male or female. We offer 13 breeds for sale. These breeds are offered as sexed and the rest such as our moss eggers (who lay dark green eggs) and our marans chicken (who lay dark chocolate eggs) are sold straight run.

Lets say you are a family of 4 looking to receive 8 eggs a day in the long run:

Egg Production:

First and foremost, it’s important to understand that not all chickens will lay eggs every day. Egg production depends on the breed of chicken, the age of the bird, and various other factors like diet and living conditions. In general, you can expect a laying hen to produce about 5-7 eggs per week, or roughly 20-28 eggs per month.

Family Size:

To determine how many eggs you need per day, consider the size of your family and how many eggs each person is likely to consume. If each person in your family eats two eggs per day, then you’ll need a total of 8 eggs per day.

Chick Quantity:

Assuming you’re starting with straight run chicks, it’s important to keep in mind that roughly half of them will be male and will not lay eggs. If you want to end up with 8 laying hens, you’ll need to start with at least 16 chicks to ensure that you have enough females. This way, even if a few of them turn out to be roosters, you’ll still have enough hens to meet your egg production needs.

Plan for the Future:

It’s also important to consider the long-term when starting a flock of chickens. Chickens can live for several years, so it’s important to plan for their care and egg production needs beyond the first year. If you want to ensure a steady supply of eggs, you may want to consider adding new chicks to your flock every year or so to replace aging hens.

Once you get into the groove and practice of keeping chickens, adding some new young layers to your existing flock will feel natural and easy.

alchemist_farmHow many chicks should a beginner start with?
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How Do I Care For My Chickens?

This is the most commonly asked question, and a very important one because you want to make sure you are prepared before brining in a new sweet animal into your life!

There are many details within this larger umbrella question. For a deeper dive on how to care for baby chicks you can visit our website section titled “New Chicken Keeper“. For those of you who prefer video classes we offer a Beginning Chicken Keeping Class and for everyone else, here is a general overview to get you thinking in the right direction!

Feeding: Chickens require a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrates, and essential vitamins and minerals. A diet high in protein is especially important for laying hens, as it helps them produce strong, healthy eggs. Chickens can be fed a commercial feed, supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as kitchen cooking scraps and given access to grit for digestion.

Housing: Chickens need a safe and secure place to roost at night and lay their eggs. A chicken coop should provide protection from predators, be well-ventilated, and have ample nesting boxes for egg-laying. It should also be kept clean and free of moisture to prevent disease.

Health: Chickens are susceptible to a range of diseases and parasites, so it is important to keep a close eye on their health. Regularly checking for signs of illness, providing clean water, and keeping the coop clean are all important aspects of maintaining healthy chickens.

General Care: Chickens require regular attention to ensure their overall well-being. This includes monitoring their behavior, providing them with adequate space to move around, and maintaining a regular egg-collecting routine. They invite us to come outside and be with them – daily observation can tell is so much about what is needed for their health and wellbeing.

alchemist_farmHow Do I Care For My Chickens?
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Want To Know All About Backyard Chicken Keeping? We Have You Covered!

Hey Everyone!

Spring is in full swing and chick season is upon us.  Every year our head chicken wrangler gets thousands of questions from folks of all sorts of expert levels in backyard chicken raising. This year for the first time she is offering two full class days (March 11th and April 1st) when two classes will be taught back to back. The first class offered on each class day is “Backyard Chicken Raising For Beginners” and the second is “Advanced Backyard Chicken Raising”. You can come to one or both classes on either class day to brush up on your chicken whispering skills and expand your knowledge base!

Check out the descriptions below for a full outline of each class as well as locations and times.

Class 1: Beginners Backyard Chicken Keeping Course

 This two hour class is designed for those who are interested in keeping backyard chickens and want to know the basics from which breeds to select for your flock goals to how to build a predator proof coop. We will discuss brooding of chicks, feed for all stages of a chickens life, proper coop maintenance, integration of existing flocks, collection and storage of eating eggs, how to set yourself up for success in relating to your new yard companions and how to look for signs of illness.

 

Class 2: Advanced Backyard Chicken Keeping and Hatching

 This two hour class is going to be packed with all of the nitty gritty details that the experienced backyard chicken keeper is looking for clarity on. We will discuss various incubation techniques as well as incubators available on the market, selecting correct eggs for incubation, testing for signs of fertility, candling, feather color genetics and how to breed for specific looks in your birds. On the health front we will cover vaccination, holistic health management of your flock, setting up proper biosecurity, what it means to be NPIP certified and if it makes sense for your flock, what to keep in your home veterinary kit, treatments for common ailments, class questions.

Saturday March 11th
This full class day will be held at Alchemist Farm in Sebastopol (space is limited). Cost for each class individually is $55 or $100 for both classes. Our Beginner class begins at 10am and goes until 12pm we will have a lunch break and if you are joining us for our Advanced class it will begin at 2pm and go until 4pm. This class day includes viewing of some of our breeding groups in action and is a rare opportunity to come beyond the Alchemist front gate. Clean booties to maintain biosecurity will be provided. To register for this class you can email us at: Alchemistfarm@gmail.com

 

Saturday April 1st

This full class day will be held at: SHED located at
25 North St. Healdsburg, CA in Healdsburg. Cost for each class at this location is $45. For class times and registration you can follow this link:

http://healdsburgshed.com/events/beginner-chicken-keeping/

http://healdsburgshed.com/events/advanced-chicken-keeping/
Class participants in either class day receive 15% off a chick or hatching order placed in 2017!

alchemist_farmWant To Know All About Backyard Chicken Keeping? We Have You Covered!
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Little Chicken Wranglers

Endless entertainment for little hands. We love having friends over to play when the sun is out. Many little ones have never held a chicken but our birds are patient and happy to accept cuddles from all ages 🙂

alchemist_farmLittle Chicken Wranglers
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Talking Chicken At The Gravenstein Apple Fair

Talking chicken at the Gravenstein Apple Fair!

We are committed to educating folks on humane ways of raising chickens and were thrilled to be invited to speak at this years Gravenstein Apple Fair. The head chicken wrangler gave a 45 minute presentation on chicken raising basics with Patricia the partridge silkie happily tucked under her arm. Topics covered ranged from how to predator proof your coop to which breeds are best for your family.

If you have a local group who would like to learn about chicken wrangling don’t hesitate to reach out – we love chatting chicken with people!

alchemist_farmTalking Chicken At The Gravenstein Apple Fair
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Seeding Fresh Pasture

Seeding fresh pasture

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What do you do when your father comes to visit? Why put him to work assembling your seed spreader! With big rain in the report for Northern California we created our own seed mix of general pasture, rye grass and clovers to cast over our acreage. We are extremely water conscious here on the farm and do not irrigate our fields during the summer, big rains means an explosion of color on the landscape again.

alchemist_farmSeeding Fresh Pasture
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Blue Ribbons For Our Birds From The National Heirloom Expo

Blue Ribbons All Around From The National Heirloom Expo in Santa Rosa!

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We keep a closed flock here on the farm which means that we do not bring any new birds onto the premises. We do this to protect the health of our breeding stock from various diseases other flocks can carry. We are proud to be part of the National Poultry Improvement Plan, every bird on our property has been tested clean of diseases.

Keeping a closed flock means that we cannot open the farm to visitors or take our birds to shows unless the birds are sold at the shows. This year we decided to participate in the National Heirloom Expo put on by Baker Creek Seeds because we are aligned with their mission of preserving heritage breeds of livestock and seeds. We entered a small sampling of our breeds into the judging and were pleased to have each one of our birds win a blue ribbon!

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alchemist-farms-double-silver-laced-barenvelders-at-the-national-heirloom-expo

We held a silent auction for a breeding quality pair of Svart Hona and at the end of the fair it was none other than the founder of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company who won them. It was bittersweet seeing Darth and Duchess off to their new home but we know they are now in excellent hands!

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alchemis-farms-svart-honas-with-the-baker-creek-boys-at-national-heirloom-expo

alchemist_farmBlue Ribbons For Our Birds From The National Heirloom Expo
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