Favorite brand??

[Chick4ever]

Hi chickfans Its been a while since I had Chickens.So my question is: whats your favorite brand of feed? I ll get my Babychicks within two weeks & I m soooo excited!! Also, where did you buy your chickencoop? I ll get 15 chicks, but I d like to keep only 5.

 

[Percheron chick]

I like to stick with locally milled feed. Support the local farmers, less transportation costs, cheaper and much fresher.

 

[DelcoChix]

How exciting!
You are opening a can of worms regarding the feed inquiry---you will get a variety of answers and it all depends on where you live, what your budget allows, what's available and how much work you want to do...
Personally I like the Purina feeds--have used the chick starter (medicated for the first bag, unmed. until chicks are about 6 months old), then the Layena crumbles after. Works well for me--tried to switch to pellets...the girls didn't care for them, so eventually I switched back.
Purina is well known, they have a good reputation (although, as with everything you'll always hear the rare horror stories every once in a while). There are folks who will only use ____brand, true organic, mix their own, or have it custom mixed...and they will swear that that is the best feed--for their particular situation.
Bottom line--do your research on what you have available locally, figure your budget and go for it---you can always switch later if you want to try out other types. Just don't make the mistake of feeding them only scratch feed, or only free-ranging once they are old enough, or only scraps. Get a good foundation chick starter for the first six months or so, then a good quality layer feed to ensure they have everything they require to make your breakfast!
Regarding coops--check out the coop thread on BYC--again, your call. The birds don't care one bit where they live--they just need a coop that is big enough for all of them to live comfortably (in Iowa I imagine you have pretty strong winters!) when they can't/wpn't go outdoors due to snow/hail/wind/rain,etc. Allow a minimum of 4 square feet of floor space per bird (large fowl), not including nest boxes. ALthough you say you will only keep five, you just might want to allow a little 'extra' space...in case you get hit by the inevitable chicken math disease! Five is fun...10 is more fun
Coops can be made from pallets, scrap wood and whatever you have lying around for next to nothing, or you can spend a couple hundred for one mail ordered, or thousands $$ on a chicken mansion. Your birds only want and need protection from predators, a place to lay their eggs, and somewhere to get out of the weather, especially wind. For mail order you might check out "cconly.com" the owner is pretty nice and I've been to his business. His coops are not super heavy duty, made of a lighter wood, so I would make sure you had it in a dog kennel for added security. I have one for a grow out coop for this years chicks.
Anyways--good luck!

 

[tcmstalcup]

I use a locally milled feed. Well, its an hour away but distance is normal in West Texas. My babies love it but in a pinch I get the brand Tractor Supply carries. Dumor. Its a bit closer to obtain. Chicks don't like it quite as well and its not supporting local economy so don't use it much.

 

[BarredRockGirls]

when i got my girls 13 weeks ago - i had them on a medicated chick starter ...i forget the brand now ...sorry but they were only on it for a month then i switched to Flock Raiser . they LOVE it . i switched because i got ducklings and wanted a feed i could give to both and not have to worry abut giving extra supplements to my ducks my 3 ducks have eaten it since day one and LOVE IT! they are 9 weeks now and my 14 chickens now 13 weeks still gobble it up like its a treat! haha ill start mixing a bit of layer in w it when they start laying . but thats not for awhile yet

my flemish giant rabbit also eats Purina Comlpete Rabbit feed.. he loves it too .