Poultry Supplies

Raising chickens, meat birds and other large fowl (like turkeys and geese) is a fairly simple and very rewarding pursuit. You don’t need a lot of “stuff.” That’s one reason why pet chickens are so popular. But you will need a few pieces of poultry equipment to keep your birds healthy and happy. Buying quality supplies will also make your life a lot easier—giving you more time to enjoy the day-to-day interaction with your birds.

If you’re lucky enough to have a livestock supply store in your town, looking for bird supplies is pretty easy. But what about the rest of us? In the old days, you’d have to make a day of it and drive to the nearest farm and hatchery establishment and load up on six months worth of everything you need. You might even need to store 50 pound bags of feed in your bedroom just to keep the mice out of it!

Thankfully, those days are over. With the Internet handy, all you have to do is press a few keys to pull up a website, look through their catalog and order just what you need. It’s delivered right to your door. No more long-term storage hassles and major investments of time and money.

Here are some of the poultry supplies you’ll need and where to find them online:

Chicken Egg Incubator: If you’re hatching baby chicks, you’re going to need either a brood hen or an electric incubator.  You’re never going to get a 100% hatching rate, so don’t be alarmed if some of your eggs fail to hatch. Some people prefer a live hen to an electric one, but there’s little difference in the end result. The advantage to using an incubator is you have a lot more control over the environment. (Not to mention, you won’t have rodents and snakes trying to sneak in and steal them.)

Egg Cartons: Many people raising backyard chickens as pets soon find themselves over their heads in fresh eggs. Fortunately, friends and neighbors are more than happy to buy the eggs, which helps offset the price of feed. But you need cartons to package them for sale. Egg trays aren’t expensive, but once you buy a supply, encourage your regular customers to save the cartons and return them to you. So, you don’t have to keep buying more.

Poultry Medications: Providing a clean, safe environment goes a long way toward healthy, happy chickens. But sometimes you need a little extra help. Many part-time and backyard chicken ranchers recommend you keep a small box filled with things like vitamins, antibiotic, anti-septic and petroleum jelly for various common ailments.

Poultry Waterer: Every living creature needs clean fresh water.  Unfortunately, it can be difficult to keep livestock water clean and contaminant free. That’s why it’s important to have a container designed for poultry, especially if you have baby chicks (they’ll drown themselves if they possibly can!) In addition, you can purchase an enzyme cleaner like IPS Poultry and Game Bird Water Protector from Jeffers livestock. Add this liquid enzyme to your birds’ water and it safely eats away contaminants and scum that can form before you have a chance to change the water.

Also, because poultry waterers are shallow, the water can freeze quickly in cold climates. So, you may need to consider installing a water heater and heat lamps before the temps drop too far.

Chicken Feed: Just like cats and dogs, poultry have different nutritional needs during different stages of growth. Layers need a different feed formula than hatchlings or meat breeds. And show birds have their own special diet, too.

For medications, incubators and other poultry supplies, we recommend Jeffers Livestock as a reliable online supplier. Dr. Jeffers has been helping people take care of their pets and livestock since 1975.  Now online, they specialize in offering quality products at discount prices. And treating every customer with respect and care.