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
You May Also Like:
Tags: , ,
Baby Chickens
Black in
Georgetown, Illinois
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Georgetown Illinois,
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. Georgetown
Illinois also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Georgetown Illinois, 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 Georgetown IL.
Baby Chickens For Sale in
Georgetown, Illinois
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Georgetown Illinois
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
Georgetown Illinois * 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 Georgetown
Illinois * 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 Chicks
Raising in
Georgetown, Illinois
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
Georgetown Illinois 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 Georgetown,
Illinois Baby chicks are extremely
cute and also
challenging to withstand,
but it's ideal to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare initially
by collecting not just the
appropriate materials, but
additionally the proper
knowledge to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
basic, you just need
to offer them with the following: A tidy and also warm and comfortable
habitat Plenty of food and water Interest as well as
love Environment Your habitat could be a basic box, fish tank,
feline carrier, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (with no loose
strings!) to start, as well as after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using just
paper or other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You additionally require
something to dish out food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle container
cover for food and a pet dog bird water dispenser from a pet store. Additionally, as the chicks get
older you could introduce a perch
into the habitat to get them
trained on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks warm you should
give them with a warmth resource.
This can be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb additionally work very
well (my
recommendation). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which could use
up to two months). The freshly
hatched out require a temperature
in between 90 and 100 degrees,
and every week this could
be lowered by
roughly 5 levels approximately. The heat resource need to get on simply one side of the cage
to allow chicks a variety of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
opposite edge of your heat
lamp, you should
minimize the temperature. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
heat (not merely cuddling),
you need to include some heat.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is key and also it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to change
the bed linens
often and
always provide clean
food and water Food and also water.
Chicks expand really quick
which requires a lot of clean
food and also water. Supply
enough at all times and also inspect
frequently to prevent dehydrated and
hungry chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, as well as it comes
in both medicated and non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, after that
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
and after that to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
dirt bathrooms, while others will not occupy that task until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
dirt for them to shower in.
Interest and love There are a
few benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. To start
with, they will probably bond with you and also
not escape as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
see their habits, you can
catch disease or various
other problems earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
various other harmful
indicators. Make certain to
additionally check out
their poop, as diarrhea can lead
to matted feathers and stopped up cloaca.
Last but not least, it is necessary to watch out for social concerns, such as the
littlest chick getting teased. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are currently totally feathery
as well as its time for them to leave the
security of your house
and also relocate outside into a cage. Look into our
area on chicken coops for more information
about coops as well as
correct coop environments.
Baby Chickens BuyBaby Chicks Online More Posts Baby Chickens for Sale in Carterville, Illinois Baby Chickens for Sale in Carrier Mills, Illinois Baby Chickens for Sale in East Peoria, Illinois Baby Chickens for Sale in Cherry, Illinois Baby Chickens for Sale in Elburn, Illinois