- Jun 20, 2014
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Got my four pullets from orscheln's chick days, lets hope they are all pullets! Two jersey giants and two crested yellow polish. Cost for the four... under $15.00. Yes got the medicated chick feed and the feeder. Probably at the same price everyone else has stated. I started them out in one of those storage tubs that I had laying around so no cost there. I put one of my dogs puppy pee pads in the bottom to help make cleaning easier. Then I read about the diseases they can get from walking around in their poo so I moved them into a larger dog carrier, the type that is plastic with holes in the sides for ventilation and the swinging metal door? Anyway since they were growing and needed the bigger space anyway, I decided to address the poo issue, and cut some chicken wire (the type with the tiny square holes, looks like graph paper to me) and pushed it down til it was about 1/2 inch from the bottom, and again I put the pee pad down under that, now they could poo to their hearts content and I could easily replace the pads from the doorway.
When they got big enough to go outside, I took three doors a friend gave me and a shell off an old ford ranger and built the coop. I measured the shell, and it fit perfectly with the length of the doors. We used two standing on the long edge and cut the third one to the width of the shell and used it for the end. I had to purchase some more of the chicken webbing partly to use as the raised floor and partly to use as the end of the coop to allow for ventilation. The shell has two small windows which since the weather has warmed up, we keep cranked open all the time, but we did replace the regular screen wire with chicken wire. I built nesting boxes out of reclaimed privacy fencing and installed them at the end of the shell, at the end where the 'back' window/hatch opens, so I can just open it and reach in and claim my hard earned prizes! Their run is a recyled dog pen, 4 x 6 x 8. We took the chainlink off and recovered it with chicken wire. It is scooted up to the coop on the long side, we actually stapled the chicken wire to the door on that side. We cut a hole in the side of the coop, then made a door for it, attached to a wire we raise and lower. Their feed was being wasted, a LOT, so I took two of the cheap food storage containers from dollar general and fixed that. I put the lids on them, and cut away half of the lid, only the part over the food, not the part that snaps the lids on. I hung them from the side of the run, a wire close to the top of the container, thru two holes and out the chicken wire and twisted off. Then another wire, at the Front of the container and attached higher up to keep them from dumping it. Did the same for the food and water, and now no wasted food and here we go again with poo stories, no poo in their water. So, my cost so far? The chicks themselves, feed, regular chicken wire and the wire mesh (wire mesh is not cheap but needed) one bag of pine chips (did the coop floor and the run), changing set up of the coop at least three times, after it was already set up, assorted skinned knuckles and mis-measured wood, priceless. Now if only they dont crow and do start dropping eggs in those hard won nest boxes.
When they got big enough to go outside, I took three doors a friend gave me and a shell off an old ford ranger and built the coop. I measured the shell, and it fit perfectly with the length of the doors. We used two standing on the long edge and cut the third one to the width of the shell and used it for the end. I had to purchase some more of the chicken webbing partly to use as the raised floor and partly to use as the end of the coop to allow for ventilation. The shell has two small windows which since the weather has warmed up, we keep cranked open all the time, but we did replace the regular screen wire with chicken wire. I built nesting boxes out of reclaimed privacy fencing and installed them at the end of the shell, at the end where the 'back' window/hatch opens, so I can just open it and reach in and claim my hard earned prizes! Their run is a recyled dog pen, 4 x 6 x 8. We took the chainlink off and recovered it with chicken wire. It is scooted up to the coop on the long side, we actually stapled the chicken wire to the door on that side. We cut a hole in the side of the coop, then made a door for it, attached to a wire we raise and lower. Their feed was being wasted, a LOT, so I took two of the cheap food storage containers from dollar general and fixed that. I put the lids on them, and cut away half of the lid, only the part over the food, not the part that snaps the lids on. I hung them from the side of the run, a wire close to the top of the container, thru two holes and out the chicken wire and twisted off. Then another wire, at the Front of the container and attached higher up to keep them from dumping it. Did the same for the food and water, and now no wasted food and here we go again with poo stories, no poo in their water. So, my cost so far? The chicks themselves, feed, regular chicken wire and the wire mesh (wire mesh is not cheap but needed) one bag of pine chips (did the coop floor and the run), changing set up of the coop at least three times, after it was already set up, assorted skinned knuckles and mis-measured wood, priceless. Now if only they dont crow and do start dropping eggs in those hard won nest boxes.
