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
You May Also Like:
Tags: , ,
Baby Chicks Names in
La Conner, Washington
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in La Conner Washington,
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. La Conner
Washington also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
La Conner Washington, 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 La Conner WA.
Baby Chicks
Outside With Heat Lamp in
La Conner, Washington
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in La Conner Washington
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
La Conner Washington * 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 La Conner
Washington * 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 Sale in
La Conner, Washington
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
La Conner Washington 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 La Conner,
Washington Baby chicks are extremely
charming and also
tough to resist,
but it's ideal to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
right products, yet
also the proper
understanding to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
easy, you simply should provide them with the following: A
clean and cozy
environment A lot of food as well
as water Interest and
love Habitat Your environment could be an easy box, fish tank,
pet cat service provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (without any loosened
strings!) to begin, and after a few weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid utilizing just
paper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You also need
something to serve up food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed shop, or a pickle container
lid for food and also an animal bird water dispenser from a
pet dog store. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you could present a perch
right into the habitat to get them
educated on setting down. Warmth To
keep your chicks heat you should
provide them with a heat resource.
This can be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb also work very
well (my
referral). Chicks need this
warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which can occupy to 2 months). The freshly
hatched need a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 levels,
and also weekly this can
be decreased by
around 5 degrees approximately. The heat source must be on merely one side of the cage
to allow chicks a variety of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
contrary corner of your heat
light, you should
reduce the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
warmth (not simply snuggling),
you should add some heat.
Housekeeping
Tidiness is crucial and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Make sure to change
the bed linens
usually as well as
consistently supply tidy
food and water Food and also water.
Chicks grow quite quick
which calls for plenty of tidy
food as well as water. Provide
enough at all times as well
as inspect
often to prevent thirsty and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and it is available in both medicated as well as non-medicated ranges. Feed chick food for the
first 2 months, then
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
and then to a slightly
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks like to obtain a head start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't take
up that task till they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to bathe in.
Focus and love There are a
few benefits to spending time with your chicks. Firstly, they will most
likely bond with you and also
not run away as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and also
enjoy their actions, you can
capture health problem or various
other troubles earlier. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or
various other unhealthy
indicators. Be sure to
also look at
their poop, as diarrhea could lead
to matted plumes as well
as blocked cloaca.
Lastly, it is very
important to watch out for social concerns, such as the
smallest chick getting teased. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently completely feathery
and its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your house
and relocate outside into a cage. Look into our
area on chicken cages to get more information
about cages and also
correct cage habitats.
Baby Chicks Outside With Heat LampRaising Baby Chickens More Posts Baby Chickens for Sale in Elmer City, Washington Baby Chickens for Sale in Hansville, Washington Baby Chickens for Sale in Clayton, Washington Baby Chickens for Sale in Bucoda, Washington Baby Chickens for Sale in Kent, Washington