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
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Baby
Chickens Care in
Nemours, West Virginia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Nemours West Virginia,
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. Nemours
West Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Nemours West Virginia, 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 Nemours WV.
Baby Chicks Needs in
Nemours, West Virginia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Nemours West Virginia
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
Nemours West Virginia * 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 Nemours
West Virginia * 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 Habitat in
Nemours, West Virginia
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
Nemours West Virginia 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 Nemours,
West Virginia Baby chicks are extremely
cute as well as
tough to resist,
however it's best to prepare for their
arrival before you get them. Prepare initially
by gathering not only the
right products, yet
additionally the correct
knowledge to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
easy, you simply need
to provide them with the following: A tidy as well as warm and comfortable
habitat A lot of food as well
as water Attention as well as
love Environment Your habitat could be a straightforward box, aquarium,
cat carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (without any loosened
strings!) to start, and after a
couple of weeks utilize straw over paper.
Note: Avoid using only
newspaper or various other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can expand
misshapen. You likewise need
something to serve up food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar
cover for food and also a pet bird water dispenser from a pet store. Additionally, as the chicks age you can present a perch
right into the habitat to get them
trained on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
supply them with a warmth source.
This can be as straightforward as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb likewise work extremely well (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which can take up to two months). The newly
hatched out require a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 levels,
as well as every week this can
be reduced by
roughly 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource ought
to be on merely one side of the cage
to permit chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
other corner of your heat
lamp, you need to
lower the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each other under the
heat (not simply curling up),
you need to put some warmth.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is essential and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Make sure to change
the bed linen
frequently and also
constantly supply tidy
food as well as water Food and also water.
Chicks grow very quick
which needs plenty of clean
food and water. Provide
enough in any way times and also examine
commonly to avoid dehydrated as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is different than adult chicken food, and it comes
in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first two months, after that
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
and then to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
dust baths, while others won't use up that activity until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, present a tray of sand or
dust for them to shower in.
Attention and also love There are a couple of advantages to hanging
out with your chicks. First off, they will most
likely bond with you and
not flee as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
watch their habits, you could
catch illness or other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or
various other unhealthy
indications. Be sure to
likewise look at
their poop, as diarrhea can cause matted plumes and blocked cloaca.
Finally, it is essential to look out
for social problems, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining picked
on. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are now totally feathered
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
as well as relocate outside into a
coop. Check out our
part on chicken coops to read more
concerning cages and also
appropriate coop environments.
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