Rules for The Coop that the books don't tell you. My experience as a newbie.

[Elaine Wright]

Luckily mine don't bother jewelry or toes.  The chicks occasionally check out my orange piggies paint job, but never when walking about, only when I'm out in the lawn chair and they stop moving.  The ROOSTER is a different story.

* NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE ROOSTER! The rooster will have favorites.  No one tells you this. Our rooster, as sweet as he is doesn't bother my husband or teenager. Oh no. ME?  HE HATES my ankles.  He treats them like they aren't even a part of my leg.  He stares them down, and tries to make a flying leap. 

*Egg songs don't always mean there's an egg, anywhere in your coop, your yard, or even on YOUR property.  It simply means that somewhere on planet earth ( and I'm limiting that) some chicken, is laying an egg.  Sometimes I think they just snap some little spring in their head and get stuck with their needle in a groove.  Egg song can go on for a REALLY long time. It doesn't mean there's an egg, it just means they're crazy.

*Chickens are curious and wander everywhere. If you don't want poop everywhere, make sure you shut the doors to the workshop and barn bathroom.

*chickens on a night vision camera look possessed.

* not all chickens make the same bok bok noise.  Some whistle, some hoot, honk, cluck, or bark.  Yup, they're weird.

I have a houdan rooster (Sam) who sounds like the raptors in the 1st Jurassic Park movie. Really creepy coming from under the deck.

 

[WthrLady]

We had an egg song today go on for three hours. I thought the other chicken were going to kill her. Lol.

 

[GitaBooks]

I have a houdan rooster (Sam) who sounds like the raptors in the 1st Jurassic Park movie. Really creepy coming from under the deck.

I'll bet! My roosters walk and attack like dinosaurs to. That's how I spot a rooster when chicks are young. We call it the dinosaur walk.

 

[sunflour]

Just when you are totally satisfied with how healthy your birds are, and how well your set up is working, you'll find a mite somewhere and have to practically start over. <sigh>

Or have the attack of the Pseudo Mites…When my gals started losing bum feathers, I was so convinced they had mites - they got dusted, entire coop and run got treated. Never saw mites, but was so convinced it had to be pests. Turned out just feather picking and the solution was to more than double the run size.

I thought they would freak out with building onto their home, but after the first day they watched with intent interest, inspecting every step of the build. When all was finished and we opened up the two sections, the ran in and explored. I am convinced the gals knew this was all for them.

 

[sunflour]

Those little smarties!

Absolutely, over two years now and they continually surprise me.

 

[N F C]

I let mine out of the run a couple times a day when I'm messing around outside. We have a big area with plastic netting fence around it where they can wander at will. One of the RSL girls is the first one out and the last one to come back in...she likes to pretend she's deaf so most the time I have to pick her up and carry her back to the run. Stinker.

 

[drumstick diva]

Is anyone else having the problem I do - every few posts when I want to "Like" one the Like function doesn't work, after a few tries, I give up and move on. But it is really annoying especially when some post really deserves to be liked.

 

[HollyWoozle]

This is a fun thread! My new hens have started to like the look of my long blonde hair... uh oh...!

 

[BY Bob]

Mine are their most clever when I am in the biggest hurry. "How did she get out?" is a frequent refrain.