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Baby Chickens for Sale in Groveoak, Alabama

Baby Chickens for Sale in Groveoak, Alabama

How to build a Chicken Coop for under $50

How to build a Chicken Coop for under $50

Why Raise Chickens?

Really, the question you should ask is “Why not raise chickens?” Raising chickens can be a really rewarding experience. These amazing animals eat a small amount of feed a day, and yet produce one egg about every day of the year. (Out of 365 days a year, they lay about 335 eggs.) They take a couple days off here and there, but for the most part they are great layers. Having complete control over the food you feed your family is also really rewarding. Knowing our chickens eat non-GMO, Organic feed, and are allowed to free-range on our acre yard somehow just makes the eggs taste better. There are many benefits to free-ranging your chickens. First of all, they don’t develop diseases because they are out in the fresh air and not living in their poop. Second, they eat a LOT more bugs and let me tell you, you WANT your chickens to eat bugs. Not only does it help keep your bug(& scorpion) population down, it also increases the amount of Omega-3’s per egg. There are just some things that nature does better! The added bonus of letting your chickens eat bugs is that they will eat less of your store-bought feed which helps bring down your overall cost.

 

FYI, chickens that are locked up in small spaces are SUPER mean to each other. Like cannibal mean. By cannibal, I mean they will literally eat each other. Seriously. They will gang up on the weakest and peck at it incessantly until it dies and then eat it. It’s all Mean Girls up in there, I’m telling you. So, definitely free-range, okay?

 

How Much does it Cost to keep Chickens

  If you buy “regular” chicken feed, it will only cost you about $11.00 for a 50 lb. bag. Pretty good deal, huh? Well, not really. “Regular” feed is chock full of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) which are KNOWN for making chickens sick. Genetically modified organisms are also called Roundup Ready. GMO’s require massive amounts of pesticides, herbicides & fungicides. Yum. “Regular” feed is also usually pre-packaged with antibiotics. Wasn’t that nice of the feed company? Gosh, they are so nice to give our chickens anti-biotics after making them sick with GMOs. So thoughtful. When all’s said and done and your chickens stop going diarrhea, it will only cost you 82 cents a dozen.   Organic, Non-GMO feed is about $24.00 for a 50 lb. bag but the benefits are amazing. Our feed is full of clean grains, as they should be, with no pesticides in them or on them. We also supplement their diet with dinner table scraps. It costs us about $1.75 a dozen. At the store, you can expect to pay $5.99 a dozen for ORGANIC, FREE-RANGE eggs.   A Plan is Hatched (I’m freakin’ hilarious)   The chicken coop I’m about to show you is one for FREE-RANGE chickens. This means your chickens should only be in the coop to eat feed, lay eggs, and roost/sleep at night. For the rest of the day they should be allowed in a yard so they can stay nice and healthy.   I can’t take full credit for this idea. Okay, I can’t take ANY credit for this idea. Kevin and I were talking about how to get rid of our old crib. We couldn’t really give it away to Goodwill because it has that old school drop side that has totally been recalled now for safety issues. Then Kevin mentioned on how that sliding door would come in handy for a chicken coop.   YES! Totally! I’ve been wanting to build a new chicken coop, and this thing was pretty much built for me! Well, I took Kevin’s idea and ran with it. I first drew a picture of how I wanted it to look. Yes, I’m a very visual person.   (Lydia said it was the best drawing of a crib she’s EVER seen, so that means it’s pretty dang good.)     The crib. Ah, crib you’ve served us well. You’ve kept our sweet little babes safe and sound as they have sweetly slumbered. Well, except for that one time when the drop side malfunctioned and Ethan tumbled out when he was 8 mo. old. But let’s forget about that one issue. You have been a great crib and we’re thankful for all your service. Aaannd now you will be a pooping ground for our chickens, mmkay? Ta-da! Here’s the coop all finished! It was SUPER easy. We lined two sides with chicken wire, two sides with wains coating, slapped a roof on that mutha’ and called it a day. Okay, okay. It took a little longer than that. I had to paint it, which actually takes way more spray paint than you’d think. I was actually embarrassed at how many times I kept underestimating the amount of spray paint I needed. It was becoming a problem, how bad I was at estimating my spray paint needs. I kept going back to the store and I totally felt like the checkout lady was thinking, “Really? MORE spray paint?” And I, feeling stupid for being the worst spray paint estimator ever, imagined yelling, “Yes, it’s for my chickens, OKAY?!!”     The drop side comes down just enough to gather eggs and fill the feeder. I totally cut these pieces myself. I also cut the table I was using but we won’t dwell on that. Sorry Kevin! You’re still “not mad”, right??? A chicken coops not a chicken coop ’till you put an actual picture of a chicken on it, right? I thought so. It has a simple roof made of wains coating and trim. Underneath is a simple frame of 1x2s. Did I mention it was simple? Super cute, right? And cheap, which makes the Mr. Husband happy.  

P.S. My friend Claire from wrote an excellent guide on (and raising chickens in the winter in general). I highly recommend it!

Do you own chickens? Have you ever thought of raising chickens? You should! And you should totally use your old crib because, well, it’s super cheap and super cool.  

Baby Chickens for Sale in Groveoak 
AL

Baby Chickens How To Care For Them in Groveoak, Alabama

We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Groveoak 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. Groveoak Alabama also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Groveoak 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 Groveoak AL.

Baby Chicks Names in Groveoak, Alabama

Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Groveoak 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. Baby Chickens for Sale in Groveoak 
ALTypically 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 Groveoak 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 Groveoak 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 Names in Groveoak, 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 Groveoak 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 Groveoak, Alabama Baby chicks are really adorable as well as difficult to resist, but it's finest to plan for their arrival before you get them. Prepare first by gathering not just the proper materials, however likewise the proper knowledge to look after them. Raising baby chicks is fairly simple, you merely have to offer them with the following: A clean as well as warm habitat Plenty of food and also water Interest and love Habitat Your habitat could be a basic box, fish tank, pet cat provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and also blankets (without any loose strings!) to start, and also after a few weeks make use of straw over newspaper. Note: Avoid utilizing just paper or various other sandal surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand malformed. You additionally need something to serve up food and water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar lid for food as well as a pet bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Likewise, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch into the environment to obtain them trained on perching. Heat To keep your chicks heat you have to give them with a warmth resource. This can be as straightforward as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth light bulb likewise work extremely well (my referral). Chicks require this heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is replaced with feathers (which could use up to two months). The newly hatched need a temperature between 90 and also 100 levels, as well as every week this can be decreased by roughly 5 levels approximately. The heat source must get on just one side of the cage to enable chicks a range of temperature levels. The chicks are your best thermostat- if they are hiding in the opposite edge of your heat lamp, you have to reduce the temperature. If they are smothering each other under the heat (not simply snuggling), you should include some heat. Home cleaning Tidiness is crucial as well as it keeps your chicks healthy. Make certain to change the bed linen typically and constantly offer tidy food as well as water Food and water. Chicks grow really quick which requires lots of clean food as well as water. Supply enough whatsoever times and examine commonly to stop dehydrated and also hungry chicks. Chick food is different compared to grown-up chicken food, and also it comes in both medicated and non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the initial 2 months, after that switch over to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for one more 2 months, and then to a slightly lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking dirt bathrooms, while others won't take up that activity till they are older. If you have the room in your chick room, present a tray of sand or dirt for them to wash in. Attention as well as love There are a few benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. First off, they will most likely bond with you and also not flee as grownups. Second, if you examine your chicks daily as well as enjoy their behavior, you could capture disease or various other problems earlier. Watch out for hissing, hopping, or other unhealthy indicators. Make sure to likewise look at their poop, as diarrhea could cause matted plumes as well as blocked cloaca. Lastly, it is essential to look out for social problems, such as the tiniest chick obtaining picked on. Empty nest disorder So your chicks are now fully feathered and its time for them to leave the security of your home and move outside into a cage. Have a look at our area on chicken cages to get more information about cages and proper cage environments.
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