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Baby Chickens for Sale in Byrnedale, Pennsylvania

Baby Chickens for Sale in Byrnedale, Pennsylvania

How to build a Chicken Coop for under $50

How to build a Chicken Coop for under $50

Why Raise Chickens?

Really, the question you should ask is “Why not raise chickens?” Raising chickens can be a really rewarding experience. These amazing animals eat a small amount of feed a day, and yet produce one egg about every day of the year. (Out of 365 days a year, they lay about 335 eggs.) They take a couple days off here and there, but for the most part they are great layers. Having complete control over the food you feed your family is also really rewarding. Knowing our chickens eat non-GMO, Organic feed, and are allowed to free-range on our acre yard somehow just makes the eggs taste better. There are many benefits to free-ranging your chickens. First of all, they don’t develop diseases because they are out in the fresh air and not living in their poop. Second, they eat a LOT more bugs and let me tell you, you WANT your chickens to eat bugs. Not only does it help keep your bug(& scorpion) population down, it also increases the amount of Omega-3’s per egg. There are just some things that nature does better! The added bonus of letting your chickens eat bugs is that they will eat less of your store-bought feed which helps bring down your overall cost.

 

FYI, chickens that are locked up in small spaces are SUPER mean to each other. Like cannibal mean. By cannibal, I mean they will literally eat each other. Seriously. They will gang up on the weakest and peck at it incessantly until it dies and then eat it. It’s all Mean Girls up in there, I’m telling you. So, definitely free-range, okay?

 

How Much does it Cost to keep Chickens

  If you buy “regular” chicken feed, it will only cost you about $11.00 for a 50 lb. bag. Pretty good deal, huh? Well, not really. “Regular” feed is chock full of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) which are KNOWN for making chickens sick. Genetically modified organisms are also called Roundup Ready. GMO’s require massive amounts of pesticides, herbicides & fungicides. Yum. “Regular” feed is also usually pre-packaged with antibiotics. Wasn’t that nice of the feed company? Gosh, they are so nice to give our chickens anti-biotics after making them sick with GMOs. So thoughtful. When all’s said and done and your chickens stop going diarrhea, it will only cost you 82 cents a dozen.   Organic, Non-GMO feed is about $24.00 for a 50 lb. bag but the benefits are amazing. Our feed is full of clean grains, as they should be, with no pesticides in them or on them. We also supplement their diet with dinner table scraps. It costs us about $1.75 a dozen. At the store, you can expect to pay $5.99 a dozen for ORGANIC, FREE-RANGE eggs.   A Plan is Hatched (I’m freakin’ hilarious)   The chicken coop I’m about to show you is one for FREE-RANGE chickens. This means your chickens should only be in the coop to eat feed, lay eggs, and roost/sleep at night. For the rest of the day they should be allowed in a yard so they can stay nice and healthy.   I can’t take full credit for this idea. Okay, I can’t take ANY credit for this idea. Kevin and I were talking about how to get rid of our old crib. We couldn’t really give it away to Goodwill because it has that old school drop side that has totally been recalled now for safety issues. Then Kevin mentioned on how that sliding door would come in handy for a chicken coop.   YES! Totally! I’ve been wanting to build a new chicken coop, and this thing was pretty much built for me! Well, I took Kevin’s idea and ran with it. I first drew a picture of how I wanted it to look. Yes, I’m a very visual person.   (Lydia said it was the best drawing of a crib she’s EVER seen, so that means it’s pretty dang good.)     The crib. Ah, crib you’ve served us well. You’ve kept our sweet little babes safe and sound as they have sweetly slumbered. Well, except for that one time when the drop side malfunctioned and Ethan tumbled out when he was 8 mo. old. But let’s forget about that one issue. You have been a great crib and we’re thankful for all your service. Aaannd now you will be a pooping ground for our chickens, mmkay? Ta-da! Here’s the coop all finished! It was SUPER easy. We lined two sides with chicken wire, two sides with wains coating, slapped a roof on that mutha’ and called it a day. Okay, okay. It took a little longer than that. I had to paint it, which actually takes way more spray paint than you’d think. I was actually embarrassed at how many times I kept underestimating the amount of spray paint I needed. It was becoming a problem, how bad I was at estimating my spray paint needs. I kept going back to the store and I totally felt like the checkout lady was thinking, “Really? MORE spray paint?” And I, feeling stupid for being the worst spray paint estimator ever, imagined yelling, “Yes, it’s for my chickens, OKAY?!!”     The drop side comes down just enough to gather eggs and fill the feeder. I totally cut these pieces myself. I also cut the table I was using but we won’t dwell on that. Sorry Kevin! You’re still “not mad”, right??? A chicken coops not a chicken coop ’till you put an actual picture of a chicken on it, right? I thought so. It has a simple roof made of wains coating and trim. Underneath is a simple frame of 1x2s. Did I mention it was simple? Super cute, right? And cheap, which makes the Mr. Husband happy.  

P.S. My friend Claire from wrote an excellent guide on (and raising chickens in the winter in general). I highly recommend it!

Do you own chickens? Have you ever thought of raising chickens? You should! And you should totally use your old crib because, well, it’s super cheap and super cool.  

Baby Chickens for Sale in Byrnedale 
PA

Baby Chickens Under Heat Lamp in Byrnedale, Pennsylvania

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

Raising Baby Chickens in Byrnedale, Pennsylvania

Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Byrnedale 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 Byrnedale 
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 Byrnedale 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 Byrnedale 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 Chicks For Easter in Byrnedale, 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 Byrnedale 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 Byrnedale, Pennsylvania Baby chicks are really adorable and hard to withstand, but it's finest to plan for their arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially by gathering not just the right products, yet likewise the appropriate expertise to look after them. Raising baby chicks is fairly simple, you merely have to offer them with the following: A tidy and warm and comfortable environment A lot of food as well as water Interest as well as love Environment Your environment could be a straightforward box, aquarium, feline provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as coverings (without loosened strings!) to begin, as well as after a couple of weeks utilize straw over newspaper. Keep in mind: Avoid using just newspaper or various other slipper surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand malformed. You additionally need something to dish out food as well as water in, such as a chicken feeder and water dish from the feed store, or a pickle container cover for food as well as an animal bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Likewise, as the chicks age you can introduce a perch into the environment to obtain them trained on perching. Warmth To keep your chicks heat you have to supply them with a heat source. This can be as simple as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb likewise function extremely well (my referral). Chicks require this heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is replaced with plumes (which could occupy to two months). The freshly hatched need a temperature level between 90 as well as 100 levels, and weekly this could be decreased by about 5 degrees or so. The warmth resource ought to be on merely one side of the cage to enable chicks a variety of temperature levels. The chicks are your finest thermostat- if they are hiding in the other edge of your warmth light, you should minimize the temperature. If they are surrounding each other under the heat (not simply cuddling), you should add some warmth. Housekeeping Cleanliness is essential and it keeps your chicks healthy. Be sure to change the bed linen commonly as well as constantly provide tidy food as well as water Food as well as water. Chicks grow extremely quickly which calls for lots of clean food and also water. Offer enough at all times as well as examine commonly to stop thirsty as well as hungry chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, and also it comes in both medicated and non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the very first 2 months, after that change to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for another 2 months, and then to a somewhat lower protein feed or a level feed (if you have layers). Soil Some chicks like to obtain a running start on taking dust bathrooms, while others won't take up that task until they are older. If you have the space in your chick unit, introduce a tray of sand or dirt for them to bathe in. Focus as well as love There are a few advantages to hanging out with your chicks. To start with, they will probably bond with you and not flee as adults. Second, if you examine your chicks daily and also enjoy their behavior, you can capture disease or various other problems earlier. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or other harmful indicators. Make certain to likewise consider their poop, as looseness of the bowels could cause matted feathers as well as clogged up cloaca. Lastly, it is very important to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the tiniest chick obtaining badgered. Empty nest syndrome So your chicks are currently fully feathery as well as its time for them to leave the safety of your home as well as move outside into a coop. Check out our section on chicken coops to read more about cages as well as correct cage environments.
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