Things You Wish You Would Have Known?

[Spartan22]

I wish I've known that chicken recognized their keepers and strangers. We had a sitter to take care of them while we were on 1 wk vacation, we told the sitter that we have 8-10 eggs a day and she can have them all. When we came back home, she told us she only get 2 eggs a day which puzzled us, since they were very consistent w/ # for months, couple of days later while I was checking the coop I found over 40 eggs stashed in the corner behind the nests stacks. The little boogers hid their eggs from the stranger lady.

 

[chickrunfun]

Snaps and buttons aren't too bad. The chickens see them and try to peck them, but don't wear a hat among the flock that has a bead on the tie strings. It looks like a scene out of The Birds with them flying up trying to get that bead, which is, of course, right below your face.

Ask me what happened this morning when I wore my brand new straw hat out to the coop. I thought I'd turned into Tippi Hedren.

haha reading your post made me almost had a coffee fail...we had a speckled sussex named Tippy HENdren..!
!

 

[jennyf]

If you think you even MIGHT be OCD about picking up poop on a daily basis (or, er, multiple times/day), make sure you can easily reach all parts of the coop/run. Although I think chicken math considerations top the list!!!!

 

[SueT]

I wish I had known about ceramic heat emitter bulbs as alternatives to incandescent lightbulbs or heat lamps for brooding baby chicks. These bulbs screw in your light fixture and put out heat but no light. It's like the difference between night and day, literally. Babies sleep through the night when it's dark....

 

[AllynTal]

I wish I had known about ceramic heat emitter bulbs as alternatives to incandescent lightbulbs or heat lamps for brooding baby chicks. These bulbs screw in your light fixture and put out heat but no light. It's like the difference between night and day, literally. Babies sleep through the night when it's dark....

Using a heating pad is even better.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update
No need to heat the environment when all they need is something warm to press up against.

 

[Shezadandy]

Using a heating pad is even better.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update
No need to heat the environment when all they need is something warm to press up against.

I do like our Sweeter Heater for the no light aspect - they get used to dark right away instead of having to transition- but it does absolutely make the whole room warm. Also got it with thoughts of using it in the coop for drastic weather changes, just for when it goes to a low of 50 to a low of 30 in one day kind of thing. Much less scary than using heat lamps!

 

[Lisa Wood]

I wish I had known that they grow as if they are on steroids. And that they will peck at each others eyes. That freaked me way out!

 

[JaeG]

There is nothing cuter than a mother chicken excitedly clucking to her chicks that she has found something tasty to share, and seeing the chicks all fight over it! I love using broody hens to hatch eggs and raise chicks.

Also, candling an egg and seeing a little shadow wriggling around in there - magical.

 

[JaeG]

I wish I've known that chicken recognized their keepers and strangers. We had a sitter to take care of them while we were on 1 wk vacation, we told the sitter that we have 8-10 eggs a day and she can have them all. When we came back home, she told us she only get 2 eggs a day which puzzled us, since they were very consistent w/ # for months, couple of days later while I was checking the coop I found over 40 eggs stashed in the corner behind the nests stacks. The little boogers hid their eggs from the stranger lady.

That's hilarious!!! Who says chickens are stupid?!

 

[Coop de Grass]

Get used to poop. Or get a dog. Any thing that does find it's way into the house is cleaned up by my dog!

We were just talking about that last night... I found a potato chip under the kitchen table. Our little dog, Gromit, went to doggie heaven in November. He was 16. He sure did keep the floor clean, and the squirrels and bunnies out of our yard. Now they are having a field day - sorry for the pun! Our 17 year old car, Bella Rose, went kitty heaven last week. We are down to one cat and 12 chooks, and 12 chicks under 3 weeks... The cat, Pixel, is looking very depressed.