Skip Bedell is a licensed home-improvement contractor, brand expert, and television personality. He is the co-host of Spike’s hit TV show, Catch A Contractor, and you can see him regularly on FOX News Network’s FOX & Friends, giving home-improvement tips and product advice. Check back here often for new television segments and product videos.

With inflation and food shortages, people are looking for ways to be self-sustaining. Check out ways you can begin homesteading: growing your own fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and eggs! You won’t believe how EASY it all can be!

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STROMBERG’S CHICKENS

Promo code “SKIP15” for 15% off!! (through 5/25)

Raising chickens can be fun, and useful. Stromberg’s shows how easy it can be to raise chickens, and has everything you need to get started, from supplies, chicks, chickens and how-to’s!

First Question is what type of birds do you want?

Egg Layers– These are birds that are bred specifically for egg laying. Some can lay more than 300 eggs per year!
Meat Birds– These are bred to put on weight faster and “Dress” better – meaning a nice-looking presentation at the farmers market.
Dual Purpose – These are bred for both butcher and egg production
Ornamental – Fun to look at and watch but not the best producers. Great Pets
Bantams – Half the size of regular “standard” sized chickens.

We are going to focus on egg producing birds:

Baby Chicks and Adults

on the Plaza:

Black Australorp – Great Dual Purpose Breed

Buff Orpington – Very tame and docile great with kids

Cream Legbar – Unique Egg color and auto sexing(the females are a different color than the males.)

Dominique- Excellent Dual purpose

Red Sex Links – Same as the adults here. Best Brown egg layer!

Olive Egger – Lays olive colored eggs

Easter Eggers – Lays Blue and Green Eggs

Salmon Faverolles – Excellent Layer of cream color eggs

Bantam Silkies – Very popular small birds. Feathers are more like fur than feathers

Skips Pick – Skip likes the easter eggers, salmon faverolles and redsexlinks. He likes the variety of egg color and how much they produce! The adult birds we have with us today are the red sex links!

Egg Producing Birds:

Can produce 250+ eggs per year
On average lay about an egg a day
Can lay eggs really well for two years
Egg color can be predicted by the ear lobe of a chicken
- White = White eggs
- Red = Brown Eggs
- Blue = Blue Eggs
Can live up to 5-10 years

Baby Chicks:

Need Four things to Survive

Space
Heat
Food
Water

Space

Birds go into a brooder for the first 4-6 weeks
- It is heated so they can grow their feathers
- Plan for ½ square foot per chick

Skips pick – Collapsible Chick Brooder! He likes it because he gets to watch the baby birds. Just don’t use it in a drafty room! When your done it collapses flat for easy storage!

Heat

Baby chicks need heat, they cannot regulate their body temp until they grow their feathers.

Baby chicks like it best if they are at around 95 degrees
Many different heater styles
- Most popular is the radiant heat brooder.
  - Birds get free choice to go in and out of the heat
  - CONSERVES electricity

Skips Pick – He likes the Comfort Brooder, the radiant style heater or heat plate style. Because it more closely mimics what a momma hen does! He also likes it because it saves energy. It uses less than a QUARTER of the energy of a traditional heat source!

Food

Baby Chicks Need higher protein feed just like a puppy. They also need little chick sized feeders because they are so small.

A good feeder is easy to clean and easy to fill
- Gets rid of the older feed first
Give your chicks a vitamin supplement when they arrive. IT HELPS!!

Skips pick for a chick FEEDER – Turbo Feeder it holds a lot so he doesn’t have to fill it frequently and its also easy to fill!

Skips pick for chick supplement – Peck and Grow – – The chicks love it and it has all they need for a great start. Probiotics for good gut health, vitamins and hydration. Great for right when you get your chicks!

Water

Baby birds need water
Easier to clean the better
The best requires minimal cleaning.
The birds stay healthier if they always have a clean supply of water

Skips pick for a chick waterer – The 1 Liter Waterer baby chick nipple waterer! Its great because the chicks always get clean water! Dirty water is one of the biggest causes of disease in baby chicks!

Full Grown Birds – Need

Chicken Coop

- Size 3-4 square foot per bird
- Need Perches for them to sleep
  - 1 foot per bird
- Easy to clean
- Ventilated properly for the birds
- Predator proof!
  - Coons etc.
  - Use an auto chicken coop door!
    - Opens at dawn closes at dusk.
    - The birds will automatically know how to use it.
- We have step by step plans available.

Skips Pick – Flock Fortress! He likes it because how sturdy it is. It also packs all the great features from large coops into a smaller version! Its made from treated lumber rated safe for playgrounds which means its safe for you birds and will last a long time!

Outdoor space (the RUN)
- The bigger the better!
- Make sure this is predator proof as well! Day time predators.

Skips Pick – Walk in Run – 6’ X 9’ He likes it because its big enough for your birds to really get some exercise, its predator proof and he can get into it! Also with the avian flu they are recommending your birds don’t mix with other birds and this does the trick containing them from wild birds!

Feeders –

- Big enough for all the birds
- Feed Saving grills
  - Feed is biggest expense buy a feeder that will help you save money.
- Easy to clean, easy to fill

Skip’s Pick – Hanging Feeder Skip likes it because it fits really well in his smaller coop and its easy to fill and can hang or sit on the coop floor. The biggest benefit it has a feed saver grill that reduces feed loss!! Saving you money!

Waterers

- Traditional Waterers
  - Big enough for you birds
  - If they run out of water
    - Birds will get stressed
    - Stop laying Eggs
    - Go into a molt

Skip’s Pick – For traditional waterer is this small Three Gallon Metal Waterer. Fits in his smaller coop and its sturdy.

- Automatic Waterers
  - Some don’t need cleaning.
  - Hook directly to a hose.

Skip’s Pick – For hot summer months when you don’t want to run out of water! He picks the Drink Stick and Hose Adapter with cups! Easy for the birds to use and minimal cleaning. Hook it straight to your hose with an adapter!

Laying the EGGS

- You need nest boxes
  - Roll out nest boxes are the best
  - Keep eggs clean
  - Don’t let the chickens eat their own eggs
- Birds lay the most consistently if they have 15 hours of daylight
- Feed them a proper egg laying recipe of feed at 17 weeks so they have the nutrients to produce the eggs. LOTS of CALCIUM
- Don’t forget how to package them
  - Egg baskets to carry
  - Egg cartons to give away your eggs to friends and family
  - Washers to wash them!
  - Frying pans to fry them!

Skip’s Pick – Printed Egg cartons and an Egg Basket! You have to have something to give away your beautiful eggs and you need to collect them!

VEGEPOD

TODAY ONLY, USE PROMO CODE “FOX15” for 15% OFF at Vegepod.com**

Vegepod is a game changing raised garden bed kit, that makes growing veggies easy for anyone, anywhere. Vegepod was founded in Australia and was successful on Shark Tank. The Vegepod has many features such as a self-watering wicking bed, a protective cover that keeps out the critters and a mist-irrigation system that comes included. Vegepod just makes it easy – start growing your food today!

Vegepod Info & Product Features/Benefits

World’s leading raised garden bed
3 sizes –
- Great for small condos, balconies rooftops, backyards, farms
- A size to fit everyone

Self-Watering wicking beds
- Lasts 3 weeks in summer if you forget to water or go away
- Very low maintenance
- 80% less watering required
- Also collects the nutrients which are absorbed back up

Protective Cover
- Keeps out the critters, rabbits, birds, squirrels, deer, raccoons, even bugs and slugs
- Protects from the elements, really hot days, takes the edge off, protects from the cold – especially with the hot house cover
- AMAZING GROWTH RATES – CREATES A MICROCLIMATE

Mist-Irrigation System
- Mist spray, comes included, you can even hook up a timer and make it fully automatic if you want!

The stands & trolley
- Raised to waist height
- Can move it around with ease!
- Accessible for the elderly
- Wheelchair accessible
- Great for the kids, Vegepods in heaps of schools

Vegebag Info & Product Features/Benefits

The Vegepod’s younger brother, encompasses a lot of the key features of the Vegepod
World’s leading raised garden bed it won Garden product of the year at the prestigious Chelsea Flower show in 2021
Self-watering wicking bed also – for 10 days in summer
Keeps out the critters & protects from the elements
Easily move around with drag handles
Hard flat base
Easily zip closed
Flat packs down

Here is the link to shop: https://vegepod.com/collections/all-products

Or, if you prefer to Shop on AMAZON, click here

READYWISE SEED BUCKET

**READYWISE.com use Promo code “SEED10” at checkout to get 10% off today*

The Readywise Seed Bucket contains 39 different varieties of hand-selected non-hybrid, non-gmo, open-pollinated vegetable seeds. With up to a 10 year shelf life, these seeds will be the ultimate tool in your preparedness kit. All 39 varieties of seed have been hand-selected and packaged in its own mylar foil bag, and each kit contains more than 4,500 Heirloom Seeds.

Here is the link to the Seed Bucket bundles page: https://readywise.com/pages/seed-bundle-page

Here is the link to the individual bucket: https://readywise.com/products/heirloom-vegetable-seed-bucket

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AS SEEN ON

Grow Your Own Food (Homesteading)

Spring Cleanup with Outdoor Power Tools