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 Hatchery in
Ramer, Alabama
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Ramer 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. Ramer
Alabama also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Ramer 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 Ramer AL.
Baby Chicks And Ducks For Sale in
Ramer, Alabama
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Ramer 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
Ramer 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 Ramer
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.
Raising Baby Chickens in
Ramer, 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
Ramer 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 Ramer,
Alabama Baby chicks are really
cute and
challenging to withstand,
yet it's best to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by compiling not just the
appropriate materials, yet
likewise the proper
expertise to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
basic, you merely have to offer them with the following: A
clean and warm
habitat Lots of food and water Focus and
love Environment Your environment can be a
simple box, aquarium,
feline service provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (with no loose
strings!) to begin, as well as after a
couple of weeks use straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing only
paper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You also need
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food and also a family
pet bird water dispenser from a pet store. Additionally, as the chicks age you could present a perch
into the environment to obtain them
trained on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks warm you have to
provide them with a heat source.
This can be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb also work effectively (my
referral). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which can occupy to 2 months). The recently
hatched out require a temperature
between 90 and also 100 degrees,
as well as each week this could
be reduced by
roughly 5 degrees or
so. The heat source should be on just one side of the cage
to permit chicks a range of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
other edge of your heat
lamp, you should
reduce the temperature. If
they are smothering each various other under the
warmth (not just cuddling),
you have to include some warmth.
Home cleaning
Sanitation is key and it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Be sure to change
the bedding
commonly and
constantly provide tidy
food and also water Food and water.
Chicks expand very quickly
which calls for plenty of clean
food and also water. Provide
sufficient at all times and also examine
typically to prevent parched and
starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for an additional 2 months,
then to a slightly
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks like to get a running start on taking
dirt baths, while others won't occupy that activity till they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to bathe in.
Interest as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending time with your chicks. First off, they will certainly probably bond with you as well as
not flee as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
view their behavior, you can
capture disease or other problems earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
other harmful
signs. Be sure to
additionally look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could lead
to matted plumes and also clogged cloaca.
Last but not least, it is important to watch out for social issues, such as the
smallest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now fully feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
as well as move outside into a
coop. Take a look at our
area on chicken cages to read more
regarding coops as well as
appropriate coop environments.
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