Beginner Poultry Kit

Get the brooder ready before the chicks come home. This kit puts heat, feed and water in one set, so you aren't hunting down a lamp, a feeder and a waterer separately. The 250 watt red heat lamp bulb and its 10.5 inch reflector lamp provide heat for the chicks in their first weeks.

The 8 inch ground feeder has 12 feeding holes, six on each side, and a covered top to help keep debris out. The 1.5 quart plastic chick waterer and the 1.5 pound plastic feeder are sized for the small start. The kit also includes a Guide to Backyard Poultry, with tips and fun facts for a new flock.

Highlights

• 250 watt red heat lamp bulb with a 10.5 inch reflector
• Bulb rated for a 6,000 hour life
• 8 inch ground feeder with 12 feeding holes and a covered top
• 1.5 quart plastic chick waterer
• Backyard poultry guide included

Why start with a kit?

Chicks need three things in their first weeks: warmth, a place to eat and clean water they can reach. A kit covers all three in sizes made for chicks, so the brooder is ready the day the chicks arrive. Starting with one set also means you don't have to guess whether a feeder and waterer will suit a chick.

A heat lamp and reflector keep the warmth aimed down at the box. Chicks that crowd under the lamp are telling you they're cold, and chicks that spread out across the brooder are comfortable. Watching where they go is the simplest way to tell whether the lamp is set at the right height. The 1.5 pound feeder holds a small amount, which suits the first weeks, and you can move up to larger feeders as the flock grows.

At a glance

How to use it

1. Mount the lamp and reflector over the brooder and set the height before the chicks arrive.
2. Set the ground feeder and the waterer on the floor, at chick level.
3. Fill the feeder and waterer, then watch the chicks for a few minutes to see whether they gather under the heat or spread out.
4. Raise the lamp as the chicks grow and the room warms up.

Good to know

• Keep the lamp clear of bedding and anything that can catch fire, and fasten it so it can't tip into the litter.
• Keep a spare bulb on hand so a burned-out bulb never leaves the brooder cold.
• Keep the feeder and waterer on a dry floor, and check the covered top of the ground feeder for debris before you refill.
• Read the Guide to Backyard Poultry before the chicks arrive so you know what to watch for in the first week.
• Chicks that crowd the edges away from the lamp, or pant with their wings held out, are too hot, so raise the lamp.

About Double-Tuf

This kit comes from Double-Tuf, one of the Miller Manufacturing Company brands. Miller started as a family-owned business in 1941 and today makes more than 1,000 farm, ranch and pet products. The Double-Tuf line focuses on affordable plastic and rubber products for use around the farm or ranch.

Have the brooder set before the chicks hatch or ship.