What do you wish you had known before you got your chickens

[newbie32]

Thanks! Ours is so big because we used to use that area for storage (it harbored all Dad's old junk). Now that it's been fixed up like this, thinks are pretty manageable. And trust me, a coop is never truly finished. Something can always be improved on.

But to be honest, our coop is huge because Dad likes to go all out on things. That's why it is taking to long to get it finished. He'd rather have an excellent coop than one that could be better. He's a perfectionist like that. "Measure twice, cut once," he always says. I just wish this rain would stop so we could get to work. I want to learn how to weld so bad! And I want to build a small pen for my quail. They are in an old rabbit hutch we use for chicks, but I think they are getting tired of it. It's big enough, but they get bored. I want to give them a nice place alongside the main coop, but we'll see. I actually didn't photograph our other pen (we used to use it for goats, then rabbits, then the pony, and now the turkeys, chicks and quail. Not enough lighting in there to get a decent photograph. It's the first pen we built, I think. It's pretty nice, but it's also smaller.

I guess I shouldn't have said mine is finished, I still need to put the roost up and put another coat of stain on, and cock the gaps. But, like you, I am waiting for decent weather-non 100+ degree weather.

I am thinking there are people on the threads HOMESTEADERS and Anyone Living off The Land that would like to hear and see your ideas. I write on both those threads and they are great. Check them out if you have time-the latter is my thread

 

[aart]

Nice Tour lbejaran!

 

[LBejaran]

Nice Tour lbejaran!

Thank you! Hope you enjoyed it!

 

[Gulfvet30]

KelsiNS i agree with most of your points, but i have several roosters together. I originally had just the one, but he started loosing all his feathers. A farmer friend told me it was stress and he needed "assistance" looking after the girls. We added 2 young roosters, which he of course showed them whos the boss, and they all got on great, (and still do 1 year on) He was back to his original proud feathered state in no time

 

[KelsiNS]

KelsiNS i agree with most of your points, but i have several roosters together. I originally had just the one, but he started loosing all his feathers. A farmer friend told me it was stress and he needed "assistance" looking after the girls. We added 2 young roosters, which he of course showed them whos the boss, and they all got on great, (and still do 1 year on) He was back to his original proud feathered state in no time

those were all points i have recieved from others! i have three roos together. I have gotten some batty advice since i got chickens-especially from people who have never had chickens!

 

[Sassafras]

I wished I'd known about bumblefoot. But the joys of my chickens outweighs the hassle.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

...just learned something else I wished I'd have known....

While chicken farming does grow as anything can, try to pre-plan according to needs of the birds not just your dream chicken plans.

You will need a coop and a run (most of us figure that out)...and as many said, plan to build a bit bigger than you need.

But what you will ALSO need is a place of isolation for sick birds that is always set up or very easy to set up...that I had to figure out the hard way.

It is the pits to have to drop everything to put a sick bird into isolation so the rest of them don't catch it but first have to set up the kennel or whatever if it is not easy to do.

When someone gets sick (and that's a when, not if) you gotta get them away from the flock...so plan for an isolation area...and that means out of wind carriage and no fence to fence or beak to beak access or underneath access for birds!

Don't fool yourself that you'll just weather the illness like a cold going through the kids...some of these bird illnesses can be bad and hard to take care of....times that by number of birds...you get the idea.

Lady of McCamley

 

[newbie32]

Something else I have learned-DONT take all advice from people just because they have been on this website a long time! They don't ALL know what they are doing! Some advice is sound but I have seen many contradictions on here. Plus what might be good for some is not always good for all. Take all advice with caution and read up on it. Or start a thread asking for opinions-which I have done. That way you get several perspectives to think about-as long as people are willing to comment

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Something else I have learned-DONT take all advice from people just because they have been on this website a long time! They don't ALL know what they are doing! Some advice is sound but I have seen many contradictions on here. Plus what might be good for some is not always good for all. Take all advice with caution and read up on it. Or start a thread asking for opinions-which I have done. That way you get several perspectives to think about-as long as people are willing to comment

x2.

There are a lot of very informed and helpful people here....and some not so.
And chicken farming is something of an art...you have to figure out what works for you.
Lady of McCamley

 

[morsekathan]

Automatic Door
We lost so many chickens to night time predators because we forgot to close the door or came home too late. The automatic door opens in the morning and closes at night. No more invasions - although sometimes we forget to close the people door!