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Baby Chickens for Sale in Breezewood, Pennsylvania

Baby Chickens for Sale in Breezewood, Pennsylvania

Easy DIY Chicken Brooder Box

Easy DIY Chicken Brooder Box

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We’re getting our first chickens this spring (!!) and over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing our experiences along the way. Be sure to subscribe via or to keep up with our latest posts! 

Chicken brooder boxes come in all shapes and sizes. They can be small and simple as a cardboard box or kiddie-pool, or a large, complex custom-build. For our booder box, these were my concerns:

  • Sturdy. With curious pets and kids in the house, I wanted something more sturdy than a cardboard box.
  • Safe. Again, the pets (specifically our cat, Stuart) was my main concern. I wanted to make sure the baby chiks would be safe from any “investigating” he might want to do.
  • Easy & inexpensive to build. I’m relatively handy, but I’m no builder. I wanted something I could build quickly and easily with the basic tools I have on hand.

So here’s what I came up with…

Materials

  • 50-gallon Sterilite tote ($16, WalMart)
  • Chicken wire, 25′ roll ($9.99, Tractor Supply)
  • Plastic zip ties ($1.59, Dollar General)

Tools

  • Cordless drill (I have a Black & Decker , part of their 20V system.)
  • 1/4″ drill bit
  • Jig saw
  • Wire cutters

How to Build Your Brooder Box

1. First we’ll cut away the hole in the lid for the chicken wire: Using your cordless drill and 1/4″ drill bit, drill a hole near the corner of the lid, about 3″ or 4″ in from the edge. This will be the pilot hole for your saw blade.

 

2. Using your jig saw, insert the blade into the hole you just drilled, then cut out the center section of the lid, leaving a 3-4″ border around the rim of the lid to keep rigidity.

3. Next, drill holes around the perimeter of the hole you just cut. You want to make them close enough to the edge that the zip ties will work, but not so close to the edge that they crack and break through.

 

4. Flip your lid upside down and unroll your chicken wire on top of it. Use your wire cutters (I actually borrowed Mike’s guitar string cutter tool) to trim the chicken wire to size. Thread zip ties through the holes drilled in the lid and use them to secure the chicken wire in place.

5. Once the chicken wire is secured, you can trim the zip ties so they don’t hang down into the brooder.

6. Release your toddler (and/or pets) for testing…

Hooray! It’s Myles-approved!

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Baby Chickens for Sale in Breezewood 
PA

Baby Chickens In The Mail in Breezewood, Pennsylvania

We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Breezewood Pennsylvania, 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. Breezewood Pennsylvania also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Breezewood Pennsylvania, 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 Breezewood PA.

Baby Chickens Mail in Breezewood, Pennsylvania

Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Breezewood Pennsylvania 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 Breezewood 
PATypically 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 Breezewood Pennsylvania * 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 Breezewood Pennsylvania * 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 Hatchery in Breezewood, Pennsylvania

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 Breezewood Pennsylvania 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 Breezewood, Pennsylvania Baby chicks are very charming as well as hard to resist, however it's best to prepare for their arrival prior to you get them. Prepare first by compiling not only the appropriate products, but likewise the appropriate knowledge to care for them. Raising baby chicks is fairly straightforward, you just have to provide them with the following: A clean and warm and comfortable habitat Plenty of food and also water Interest and love Environment Your environment could be an easy box, aquarium, feline provider, or guinea porker cage. Line it with old towels and also blankets (without loosened strings!) to begin, and also after a couple of weeks make use of straw over paper. Keep in mind: Avoid using just paper or other sandal surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand misshapen. You also need something to serve up food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water meal from the feed shop, or a pickle jar cover for food and an animal bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Also, as the chicks grow older you can present a perch into the environment to get them educated on setting down. Heat To keep your chicks heat you have to supply them with a warmth resource. This could be as simple as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a hardware 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 could take up to two months). The newly hatched out require a temperature level in between 90 and 100 degrees, and each week this can be decreased by about 5 levels or so. The warmth source need to get on simply one side of the cage to permit chicks a variety of temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal thermostat- if they are concealing in the opposite corner of your heat light, you need to lower the temperature level. If they are surrounding each other under the heat (not merely curling up), you need to put some warmth. Home cleaning Sanitation is key as well as it maintains your chicks healthy. Be sure to transform the bed linens often and also always offer tidy food and water Food and water. Chicks expand quite fast which calls for a lot of clean food and water. Offer enough whatsoever times and inspect often to avoid thirsty and also hungry chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, as well as it comes in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the very first 2 months, after that change to a raiser food (~ 17 % protein) for one more 2 months, and afterwards to a somewhat reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks like to get a running start on taking dust baths, while others won't occupy that activity till they are older. If you have the space in your chick unit, present a tray of sand or filth for them to shower in. Focus and also love There are a couple of benefits to spending time with your chicks. First off, they will certainly more than likely bond with you and not run away as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily as well as enjoy their behavior, you could capture disease or other troubles earlier. Watch out for hissing, hopping, or other harmful indications. Make sure to additionally look at their poop, as diarrhea could bring about matted feathers as well as blocked cloaca. Last but not least, it is important to watch out for social issues, such as the littlest chick getting badgered. Empty nest syndrome So your chicks are now completely feathered and also its time for them to leave the security of your residence and move outside into a coop. Have a look at our area on chicken coops to read more about coops and appropriate coop habitats.
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