Baby Chickens for Sale in West Chester, Pennsylvania
Baby Chickens for Sale in West Chester, 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!
Related
Baby Chickens Names in
West Chester, Pennsylvania
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in West Chester 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. West Chester
Pennsylvania also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
West Chester 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 West Chester PA.
Baby Chicks And Ducks For Sale in
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in West Chester 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.
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
West Chester 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 West Chester
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
Hatchery in
West Chester, 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
West Chester 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 West Chester,
Pennsylvania Baby chicks are extremely
charming as well as
tough to resist,
yet it's best to prepare for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare initially
by gathering not just the
correct products, but
also the proper
expertise to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
basic, you simply should supply them with the following: A
clean as well as cozy
environment A lot of food as well
as water Focus as well as
love Environment Your habitat could be a
simple box, fish tank,
cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without any loose
strings!) to begin, and after a few weeks utilize straw over paper.
Note: Avoid utilizing only
paper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could expand
misshapen. You also require
something to provide food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle jar
cover for food as well as a pet dog bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Additionally, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on perching. Warmth To
keep your chicks warm you have to
supply them with a warmth resource.
This can be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb likewise work effectively (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which could use
up to 2 months). The newly
hatched need a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and each week this can
be reduced by
approximately 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource must get on just one side of the cage
to enable chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
contrary corner of your warmth
lamp, you have to
decrease the temperature level. If
they are smothering each various other under the
heat (not simply curling up),
you have to put some heat.
Housekeeping
Tidiness is essential and it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to alter
the bed linens
frequently and also
constantly give clean
food and also water Food and water.
Chicks grow really fast
which needs lots of tidy
food and water. Supply
sufficient whatsoever times and inspect
often to avoid thirsty and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for one more 2 months,
and afterwards to a slightly
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a head start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't use up that task till they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to wash in.
Focus as well as love There are a
few advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. Firstly, they will probably bond with you and
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
watch their behavior, you could
catch health problem or various
other issues earlier. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
other undesirable
indications. Make sure to
likewise look at
their poop, as diarrhea can bring about matted feathers and stopped up cloaca.
Lastly, it is essential to look out
for social problems, such as the
littlest chick getting teased. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and its time for them to leave the
security of your house
and also relocate outside into a cage. Check out our
area on chicken coops to learn more
concerning cages and also
appropriate coop habitats.
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