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 And Heat Lamps in
Wytopitlock, Maine
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Wytopitlock Maine,
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. Wytopitlock
Maine also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Wytopitlock Maine, 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 Wytopitlock ME.
Baby Chicks Buy in
Wytopitlock, Maine
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Wytopitlock Maine
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
Wytopitlock Maine * 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 Wytopitlock
Maine * 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 Food in
Wytopitlock, Maine
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
Wytopitlock Maine 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 Wytopitlock,
Maine Baby chicks are extremely
charming and
tough to withstand,
yet it's best to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first
by collecting not just the
right materials, however
also the appropriate
understanding to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
easy, you merely have to offer them with the following: A
clean and also cozy
habitat Plenty of food as well
as water Attention and
love Environment Your environment could be a basic box, fish tank,
cat provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (without any loosened
strings!) to begin, as well as after a few weeks use straw over paper.
Note: Avoid making use of only
newspaper or various other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You likewise require
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
dish from the feed shop, or a pickle container
cover for food and also an animal bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks warm you should
give them with a heat source.
This can be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb likewise function extremely well (my
suggestion). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which can take up to 2 months). The recently
hatched out need a temperature level
between 90 and 100 levels,
as well as weekly this could
be decreased by
approximately 5 levels or
so. The warmth source must be on simply one side of the cage
to allow chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
opposite edge of your heat
lamp, you need to
lower the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
heat (not just snuggling),
you should include some warmth.
House cleaning
Tidiness is vital and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Be sure to change
the bed linen
often and
always provide clean
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks grow very quickly
which calls for plenty of clean
food and also water. Give
sufficient whatsoever times and inspect
frequently to
stop parched as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, as well as it comes
in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, after that
change to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and after that to a slightly
lower protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks like to get a head start on taking
dirt baths, while others won't occupy that activity until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to shower in.
Focus as well as love There are a
few advantages to hanging
out with your chicks. First off, they will probably bond with you and also
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
see their actions, you can
catch illness or other problems previously. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, hopping, or
various other undesirable
indicators. Make certain to
likewise consider
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could bring about matted feathers as well
as blocked cloaca.
Lastly, it is important to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
littlest chick obtaining teased. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are now completely feathery
and its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
and move outside right into a cage. Check out our
part on chicken coops to find out
more
regarding cages and also
appropriate coop habitats.
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