Featherbrain Shop
I’ve included my favorite chicken products here in my Chewy and Amazon Shop. These are the products I use myself and recommend to my readers.
These are affiliate links for my favorite products from Amazon and Chewy. As an Amazon and Chewy Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Chewy gives me a GREAT commission for brand new customers (and zero after that). Amazon gives a terrible commission, but they do pay on almost all purchases. Using my affiliate links is one of the easiest ways to support my content. Thanks in advance!
Brooder supplies
Brooder area
My favorite brooder hands-down is a camping tent.
You can learn why in my post, Camping tent chick brooder: The best brooder in the entire world!
This is the camping tent I use, and here are some other options.
FurHaven Soft-sided Dog & Cat Playpen
This pen is the second-best brooder for your chicks. (The camping tent is definitely #1.)
Most brooder areas are too small for chicks after 1-2 weeks of age. This is one of the few brooder pens at a reasonable price that gives your chicks the space they need as they grow.
The pen also has wonderful ventilation, and allows the chicks to see the world is bigger than a cardboard box.
Brooder heater
K&H Pet Products Thermo-Poultry Heated Chicken Brooder
This heat plate brooder is the safest option for your chicks. Unlike heat lamps, this brooder plate doesn’t provide constant, irritating light and isn’t a fire hazard.
The plate is tilted so your chicks can decide exactly how much heat they want.
Need a larger brooder heater?
Try the Brinsea EcoGlow Brooder for 18 chicks.
Chick feeders and waterers
Lixit Chick Feeder and Fountain
This is my favorite chick feeder and waterer. The base can be flipped—so with one side up, it’s a base for water, and with the other side up, it’s a base for feed.
Order two so you can use one for a feeder and the other for a waterer.
Gamma2 Vittles Vault Pet Food Storage
This is the container I use to store my chickens’ feed.
You can get one in a large size (pictured here) or in a small size more appropriate for a bag of chick feed.
However, if you’ll be buying your adult chicken feed from a feed store, you’ll need a larger container anyway. Most feed stores only sell larger feed bags.
Scratch and Peck Feed Cluckin' Good Chick Grit
If your chicks eat anything other than chick feed, you’ll need to make grit readily available to them. Grit is crushed up stone—when the grit reaches your chicks’ gizzards, it helps them break up their feed so they don’t get gizzard impaction (which is fatal).
You can think of the combo of grit and gizzard as your chick’s teeth!
So, if you give your chicks any treats (i.e., anything aside from their chick feed), you’ll need to make grit available in a container. You can use a chick feeder or just any small Tupperware or other box you have handy.
Chick Bedding
Bedding for week 1
Whatever bedding you use for your chicks, you’ll want to first start with potty pads free from scents and attractants, like these, or paper towels for the first 3-5 days.
Why? Chicks need to learn what to eat, and so you want to make sure the only thing they have available to eat initially is food. If your bedding is exposed, they may fill up on bedding and become ill or starve.
So, I always cover my bedding with potty pads for the first 3-5 days until I’m certain my chicks have learned to eat chick crumble.
Bedding for after the first few days
Small Pet Select Premium Unbleached White Paper Bedding
Unbleached shredded paper bedding is a great option for your chicks. As with all organic beddings, make sure you replace the bedding when it gets damp or wet.
Other safe chick bedding types:
Medium- to coarse-grained washed sand
Chick toys
Miscellaneous items
I don’t care if you’ve kept chickens for a lifetime or you’re brand new, every chicken keeper needs this book.
Put these eggs in your chicks’ nesting boxes near the time you expect them to lay. Your girls will learn much more quickly to lay in the nesting box with these there. These things can seriously work wonders! I use them with all my new pullets.
Put these eggs in your chicks’ nesting boxes near the time you expect them to lay. Your girls will learn much more quickly to lay in the nesting box with these there. These things can seriously work wonders! I use them with all my new pullets.