Chicken Starter Kit
Inside: Ensure a seamless start for your new chicks with our essentials! From cozy brooders to nutritious feeds, set the stage for a thriving flock.
What do you need when you decide to get chickens for the first time? After doing your research of course on breeds and such. You want to get everything you need before you get your birds. A chicken starter kit can be a way to get everything you need in one go, but they aren't all created equal.
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Chicken Starter Kit
I would recommend not buying your products from Amazon. Yes, you are going to see Amazon links in this post. Not everyone can go to a feed store to get feeders and waterers that they want.
The place where I buy my feed doesn't sell other supplies for poultry so I tend to go to online sources.
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I'd watch out for the poultry starter kits that you can get on Amazon for example. One kit has it listed as an adult feeder and a chick feeder, but they are both feeders I would use for chicks, not adult chickens of any size.
What You Need for Getting Started with Poultry
What you need is going to be different depending on the age at which you get your birds.
What You Need for Chicks
Chicks, up to 6 weeks or so need a source of heat. They would still be going under their momma hen if with a broody hen. And of course, the temperature outside is also going to play a factor in how long you need to provide additional heat.
Chicks need to be on chick starter for at least 6 weeks. But you can keep them on it for up to 18 weeks when you switch them to layer feed.
What you need:
- brooder
- a heat lamp or heating plate
- thermometer
- waterer
- feeder
- chick feed – we use medicated
- bedding – we use pine shavings, I have used pee pads too, but I find shavings easier and less smelly
What You Need for Pullets
Pullets thankfully don't need heat, nor do they need a brooder. Pullets are young hens, often not yet laying age. They can be outside in a coop and run with their feed and water.
They need feeders and waters with lay pellets instead of chick starter.
I occasionally use chick grower for this stage as well. Chick grower is for after six weeks and before laying. It is often used for raising meat birds.
Pullets are going to be outside in a coop and a run, or free range. An important thing they also need is a nesting box as well.
Chick Starter Kit
This Amazon chicken starter kit looks decent. It has a waterer, feeders, a heat lamp, and a small roost. Chickens love to roost, they don't like to sleep with their feet on the ground. They won't use it right away, but around 5-6 weeks you'll notice them starting to jump up on it. Or even on top of their waterer or feeder.
You can skip the brooder and heat lamp stage completely by buying your birds a little older. You can buy pullets from most feed stores or tractor supply stores. They often have them in the spring and summer, and sometimes in the autumn.
We like to buy our birds from local breeders. I like to have different breeds like our Brahmas, or Silkies, which aren't usually available through feed stores.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do chickens eat starter feed? Day 1 to 18 weeks. Day-old chicks through 18 weeks old
What is the difference between chick starter and grower feed? Starter feed is protein-dense (usually 20-24% protein) and designed to meet the dietary requirements of baby chicks. Chicks between 6 and 20 weeks of age should be switched to grower feed, which contains less protein than starter feed (16-18%) and less calcium than typical layer feed varieties.
Want More?
How to Get Started Raising Chickens for Beginners
What Goes Into Raising Chickens
