How To Raise Chickens in the City ~ DIY Chicken Coop & Feeders
How to Raise Chickens in the City ~ DIY Chicken Coop & Feeders
Happy Fall Ya’ll! I just couldn’t WAIT to say that and the time has finally come! I hope that wherever you are in the world you are having wonderful weather! Ever wonder How to Raise Chickens in the City? Well, I am about to tell you our experience…
I don’t know if you guys remember a few months back, but my husband decided it would be a great idea to buy 2 little chicks for Missy Prissy. I had no idea that a trip to our ‘new’ store would be the start of our journey to raising city chickens.
You see folks, I am about as city girl as you are ever going to see and I had no intentions of raising chickens, but the little girls grew on me and I have become very fond of the little ladies and wanted to share how we are raising them here in the heart of the city!
As the little girls started to grow and outgrow their rubbermaid home, I insisted my darling husband build a coop for them. We had a chicken a few years ago and she was truly a ‘free-range’ chicken and made messes EVERYWHERE. Being the amazing craftsman he is, my hubby whipped up a chicken coop one Saturday, complete with ramp, hen house and egg box and door.
There was only 1 slight problem…My husband went a few weeks later and bought 2 more chicks, so now we have a total of 4!! And just like children, it seems that the new ones grew faster than the first two and pretty soon the coop wasn’t big enough for all 4 young ladies. My husband my some modifications to make the coop bigger and moved it to a different part of the yard.
In order to make an automatic waterer for the chickens, he cut open a bucket and placed a swamp cooler float inside. This way whenever the water gets too low, the float activates the water line to add more water. Boy, can I tell you that this is a lifesaver!
And having been a country boy and raising chickens when he was younger, Mr.Chaos knew that chickens like to scratch at their food, so we elevated their food, so the ladies can still reach it, but not scratch it out. Genius!
This is the ladies in their house!
Here you can see the ramp and the hen house, where they go to lay their eggs.
This is the side door to the coop. We use this door to get into the coop for whatever reason necessary.
This is the egg box with a latch, so we can get to the eggs easily.
The inside of the egg box. No eggs today. 🙁
But let me tell you that these Organic Brown Eggs are delicious!!
I hope you enjoyed my first installment of Raising Chickens in the City. Coming soon is a post on some facts about layer chickens and what I have learned since having my girls the last 10 months!
Baby Chicks Near Me in
Irons, Michigan
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Irons Michigan,
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. Irons
Michigan also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Irons Michigan, 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 Irons MI.
Baby Chicks Facts in
Irons, Michigan
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Irons Michigan
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
Irons Michigan * 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 Irons
Michigan * 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 As Pets in
Irons, Michigan
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
Irons Michigan 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 Irons,
Michigan Baby chicks are very
cute and
challenging to withstand,
however it's best to plan for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare initially
by gathering not only the
proper materials, yet
likewise the proper
understanding to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
basic, you simply should give them with the following: A tidy and also warm and comfortable
environment Lots of food and water Interest and
love Habitat Your environment can be an easy box, fish tank,
cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (without any loosened
strings!) to begin, and after a few weeks utilize straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid using only
paper or other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
malformed. You also require
something to dish out food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
dish from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
lid for food and also a family
pet bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Likewise, as the chicks age you can present a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on setting down. Warmth To
maintain your chicks heat you should
give them with a warmth resource.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb also function extremely well (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which can use
up to two months). The freshly
hatched out need a temperature
in between 90 and also 100 levels,
as well as weekly this can
be minimized by
approximately 5 degrees or
so. The warmth resource should be on simply one side of the cage
to allow chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are concealing in the
contrary corner of your heat
light, you have to
reduce the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not just snuggling),
you need to include some heat.
House cleaning
Tidiness is key and also it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to transform
the bed linen
often as well as
consistently provide clean
food as well as water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow really fast
which requires lots of clean
food and also water. Offer
enough at all times and inspect
commonly to
stop parched as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, and it comes
in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
initial 2 months, then
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and then to a slightly
lower healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
filth baths, while others won't use up that task till they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to wash in.
Interest and also love There are a couple of advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. First off, they will certainly more than likely bond with you as well as
not escape as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
see their actions, you can
capture disease or various
other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
various other undesirable
indicators. Be sure to
likewise check out
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can lead
to matted feathers and also obstructed cloaca.
Lastly, it is necessary to look out
for social concerns, such as the
littlest chick getting badgered. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are now completely feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
safety of your residence
and relocate outside right into a
coop. Have a look at our
area on chicken coops to find out
more
regarding coops as well as
correct cage environments.
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