Best Supplier?

[JAbraham]

Hi all! I'm planning on buying chicks in the spring and constructing the coop and run now. Do you all have a favorite supply house? Looking at mail order from Stromberg, but open to others. We have a Murdoch's and they're building a Tractor Supply. Dont prefer Amazon. Need all the basics. Brooding heater, chick feeder and waterer, same for chickens. Also what's the best automatic door and why? Solar or battery? Thanks in advance!

 

[SourRoses]

I don't get supplies from any one place... I price shop and check out reviews before purchasing.
TSC can be good but also overpriced, it depends on the item. Even wal mart tries to sneak in overpriced items. And there's a lot of junk chicken stuff out there that should never be purchased. Including "starter perches, " treats, and toys they won't play with.
There's no one correct automatic door... there are a lot of options but I think they're all made in china... it's not a product any traditional electronics manufacturer is willing to mess with.

 

[JAbraham]

I don't get supplies from any one place... I price shop and check out reviews before purchasing.
TSC can be good but also overpriced, it depends on the item. Even wal mart tries to sneak in overpriced items. And there's a lot of junk chicken stuff out there that should never be purchased. Including "starter perches, " treats, and toys they won't play with.
There's no one correct automatic door... there are a lot of options but I think they're all made in china... it's not a product any traditional electronics manufacturer is willing to mess with.

Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I buy my chicks from local feed stores. I am willing to pay extra to avoid dealing with shipping and possible DOAs, and I want to see the chicks in person so I can reject any that don't look right or that I think could possibly be male.

Same with supplies, most come from the local feed store. I DIY some stuff myself, i.e. a mama heating pad. Chicks really don't need as much stuff as people think, like I raised my first chicks with paper plates for their feeder.

The best auto door is the one that works for your set up. Due to limited space I couldn't have a door that swung out or slid horizontally, so I had to go with guillotine style. Due to frequent very overcast days and wanting to keep birds in past sunrise I opted for timer instead of light sensor, etc. I don't have power run to the coop so I had to do battery. In the end I got a standard Chicken Guard door.

 

[JAbraham]

I buy my chicks from local feed stores. I am willing to pay extra to avoid dealing with shipping and possible DOAs, and I want to see the chicks in person so I can reject any that don't look right or that I think could possibly be male.

Same with supplies, most come from the local feed store. I DIY some stuff myself, i.e. a mama heating pad. Chicks really don't need as much stuff as people think, like I raised my first chicks with paper plates for their feeder.

The best auto door is the one that works for your set up. Due to limited space I couldn't have a door that swung out or slid horizontally, so I had to go with guillotine style. Due to frequent very overcast days and wanting to keep birds in past sunrise I opted for timer instead of light sensor, etc. I don't have power run to the coop so I had to do battery. In the end I got a standard Chicken Guard door.

 

[JAbraham]

Thank you!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Brooding heater,

Where are you brooding, in a climate-controlled house or outside subject to temperature swings. If outside, what are those temperature swings? (That's basically where are you located and what time of the year will you be brooding them?) How many chicks? How big will the brooder be? Do you know what it will look like? I'd suggest different brooder heaters depending in this type of info.

chick feeder and waterer,

I don't have a "best" for everyone for these. We use different things. You can buy, make, or repurpose things. For chicks, those long red plastic feeders with 16 holes for them to eat out of are pretty popular. Some people like the hanging feeders that look like bird feeders. I've made a trench out of wood. For the first few days when they are learning what to eat something like the paper plates Rosemary mentioned are not bad.

For older chickens you have a huge choice. Some people use hanging feeders that look like bird feeders. Some make feeders out of PVC using 90 degree bends, there are examples on this forum. Some use trenches or bowls of some type. I cut 2-1/2" holes in the sides of a 3 gallon plastic bucket and hang that.

Waterers also vary. You can get those that chick waterers look like a bird feeder, similar to some feeders. Make sure those stay level or they will leak. Some people use nipples, either horizontal or vertical. I use a black rubber dog bowl with rocks so they don't drown by walking in it. If they can, they will poop in it so you need to change it out regularly.

Waterer options for adults are similar to these.

I don't use an automatic door so no comments on those.

 

[aimee750]

For buying chicks, it depends what kind you are interested in. If we know that, we can give you better ideas of where to purchase from.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Hi all! I'm planning on buying chicks in the spring and constructing the coop and run now. Do you all have a favorite supply house? Looking at mail order from Stromberg, but open to others. We have a Murdoch's and they're building a Tractor Supply. Dont prefer Amazon. Need all the basics. Brooding heater, chick feeder and waterer, same for chickens. Also what's the best automatic door and why? Solar or battery? Thanks in advance!

check the local warehouses and appliance stores, see if they're giving away old pallets. the wood isn't that great, but it's free and can be worked into a usable coop and a fence, so you would only need wire or netting for the top of the run and a tarp to nail over a sloped board for the coop roof.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Hi all! I'm planning on buying chicks in the spring and constructing the coop and run now. Do you all have a favorite supply house? Looking at mail order from Stromberg, but open to others. We have a Murdoch's and they're building a Tractor Supply. Dont prefer Amazon. Need all the basics. Brooding heater, chick feeder and waterer, same for chickens. Also what's the best automatic door and why? Solar or battery? Thanks in advance!

and a word of advice: don't get the feeders and waterers without lids. I've never had a drowning from falling in, but I had an idiot who died presumably of thirst after falling into the feeder (she could have jumped out, but she wasn't the brightest), and early on in my chicken journey, I had a Bantam chick who was crushed/ drowned by his adopted siblings, after I foolishly decided to raise him with a pair of Cornish Cross.