Our little darling chicks have arrived! We ordered from mypetchicken.com and found the selection and service to be excellent. The chicks shipped super fast and were all healthy and well when they arrived (oh and so soft and cute!). Our little gal chicks will live in their brooder box for about 4-6 weeks, then transition to their chicken coop outdoors, where they will have free range of our backyard once they are full grown.
Investing in chicks can start to get expensive if you don’t DIY. I considered just using a large cardboard box to keep them in for those first 4-6 weeks, but all the sources I read about chick care said that a large cardboard box would soon be too small for the growing chicks (and potentially too short as well for when they try flying). Mypetchicken.com sells a for $72 shipping; however to save some cash, I decided to copy the idea using left over moving boxes I had laying around.
You will need:
2 Large cardboard boxes of the same size
cutting tool
strong tape (duct tape works)
It’s so simple: cut a side open on the two boxes, open them up and then tape the edges together, folding the bottoms in together so they sort of weave and interlock. You can choose to tape those inside flaps together for added stability.
Added bonus for this design: when the chicks get bigger and can start jumping and trying to fly, you can fold up the top flaps of the boxes and tape them together to add 5 plus inches to the height of your box – cool! You can also grab a couple long sticks or dowels and punch holes in the sides of the cardboard to set up roosting perches for the chicks about 1-2 inches off the ground.
To make removing and cleaning the pine bedding easier, I picked up a painters drop cloth at the hardware store for $8, size 5×5, and laid it inside the pen before putting down the bedding. This will allow me to wrap up the entire bedding/poop mess inside the drop cloth and carry it out to the compost pile.
Other items needed for our 6 little birds were purchased at a local feed store:
$5.50 – buy the large one so you don’t have to buy it later when the birds get bigger and try to knock over a smaller sized one you may have bought at first. Saves you money and time!
$4
3 cubic feet of compressed $8
25 lbs $12
From Amazon I purchased a for $11.20
and from Amazon also I purchased a $12
My home-made “package” cost $55.70, compared to the starter kit from mypetchicken.com priced at $72 plus shipping. As an added bonus, I purchased 5 times as much food, got a larger watering device and a metal feeder instead of plastic. I also was able to get 20 times as much pine bedding and a much sturdier heatlamp. I’d say that’s a win! Plus, I do think my recycled cardboard chick house ended up being larger than the size of the packaged one.
And man, are they cute! My son loves going in there during the day with me to check on them.
For more information on raising baby chicks, I recommend
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Baby
Chickens How To Care in
Dauphin Island, Alabama
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Dauphin Island Alabama,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Dauphin Island
Alabama also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Dauphin Island Alabama, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Dauphin Island AL.
Baby Chickens 101 in
Dauphin Island, Alabama
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Dauphin Island Alabama
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Dauphin Island Alabama * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Dauphin Island
Alabama * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Baby Chickens By Mail in
Dauphin Island, Alabama
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Dauphin Island Alabama is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Dauphin Island,
Alabama Baby chicks are quite
charming and
difficult to withstand,
however it's best to prepare for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially
by gathering not just the
right products, but
also the correct
expertise to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
straightforward, you merely need
to give them with the following: A tidy as well as warm
habitat Lots of food as well
as water Interest as well as
love Environment Your environment could be a basic box, aquarium,
cat service provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (with no loosened
strings!) to start, as well as after a few weeks use straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using just
newspaper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can grow
malformed. You likewise require
something to serve up food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food as well as a pet bird water dispenser from a
pet dog store. Likewise, as the chicks get
older you can present a perch
into the habitat to get them
trained on setting down. Warmth To
keep your chicks heat you need to
offer them with a warmth source.
This could be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb likewise work very
well (my
referral). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which can take up to two months). The freshly
hatched require a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
as well as each week this could
be reduced by
roughly 5 levels approximately. The warmth source ought
to be on merely one side of the cage
to enable chicks a variety of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
other edge of your heat
light, you have to
lower the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not simply snuggling),
you need to include some warmth.
Housekeeping
Sanitation is essential and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Make sure to alter
the bed linens
usually and also
always supply tidy
food and also water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow very fast
which calls for a lot of clean
food and water. Supply
sufficient at all times and inspect
often to prevent dehydrated and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is various compared
to adult chicken food, and it can be found in both medicated and
also non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, then
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and then to a somewhat
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks want
to get a running start on taking
dust baths, while others will not use up that task until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to bathe in.
Attention and also love There are a
few advantages to spending time with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly probably bond with you as well as
not escape as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
enjoy their habits, you could
catch health problem or other troubles previously. Watch out for hissing, hopping, or
various other undesirable
signs. Make sure to
also take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea can lead
to matted feathers as well
as obstructed cloaca.
Last but not least, it is very
important to watch out for social problems, such as the
smallest chick getting teased. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety of your residence
and relocate outside right into a cage. Look into our
area on chicken cages to get more information
regarding coops and also
correct coop environments.
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