6 weeks into chicken ownership - Why didnt i do this long ago

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Basia St Clair said:
Just purchased my first 4 pullets (hope they are all Hens) six weeks ago. 2 ISA Browns and 2 Asian Blacks from Tractor Supply. When I say at first I knew nothing about raising chicks, looking back, I actually new less than nothing. Negative, if that's possible. Most of it was like that old wives tales you heard your grandparents talk about around chickens.

I LOVE it! Why didn't i do this sooner.

Like so many other have indicated: they are are so fun! From literally watching them actually grow before your eyes, to all the anxiety around "normal" behavior.

I was obsessed with pasty butt, temperature in the brooder, water (add vinegar? garlic clove infused?), food (medicate or non medicated?), type of straw/sand/pine shavings/ to put in brooder, how much? are they warm, cold, acting funny, pooping right (i actually looked up an article that had pictures of all kinds of poop LOL)? You name it, I've obsessed over it :) Thank goodness for this forum.

Looking back i think 3 of them were near 1 week old when I purchase them, and poor little Tender might have been one day old. She is still not fully feather, while the others are well on their way to looking like full grown chickens.

What I've learned about my babies:

These birds are H A R D Y. The first week they may have been delicate, but after that they've taken a life of their own.
They will NOT drink water with garlic cloves in it - literally turn up their beaks and walk away :)
They LOVE Hydro Hen
They HATE mealworms - really? what in the world?
A live worm is like gold, platinum and winning the lottery all combine
Fresh herbs from the garden create a frenzy of running around, chasing, devouring
I care WAY more about their surrounding temperature then they do
They love toys
They need grit
You can build a chicken coop out of almost anything
Predator proof, predator proof, predator proof!!!! Day 1 outside of brooder and in the run and there was evidence of something trying to dig under the wire mesh. Thanks goodness I buried about a foot in the ground around the fence.

Latest challenge: They do not want to go into their coop at night. Nope. No way. They love outside.

I cant help but go out and visit with them several times a day. I just take my coffee and stare at them, watching them dust bath, or scratch, or run, or fly, or learn to drink from their water bucket.

Good luck to everyone! And thanks for having this great forum to search and share!
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I’m only on my second week with my FIRST batch, Easter Eggers - allegedly I think I I got mutt chickens but I love them dearly which happened during the 2 second walk to my car with them. Second batch is coming at the end of June, blue australorp.
but I could have written this thread myself. Felt the exact same way about everything. Why didn’t we do this sooner???? P.S: chicken math is no joke. It’s real, it’s serious and I’m afflicted.:wee
 
I have also been an anxious momma hen on the steepest learning curve I can remember!
We moved our (at the time) 5 week old chicks to their coop last Saturday. The forecast called for a little rain and slightly cooler temps but nothing drastic. By Monday morning the forecast had changed to 3 solid days of rain and temps in the mid 40s to low 50s, not the 60s originally expected when the decision was made to move them outside. Tuesday we discovered that our TSC coop was only made for places where the rain falls straight down. It was 3 days of trying to keep them dry and warm (but not hot) in the midst of a downpour and leaving their food and water in their coop all day instead of the run where it should be. NO FUN AT ALL. Last night the rain finally let up a bit and as I went out to do a final food and water check before bed, one of my hens insisted on coming out of the coop on my hand. Prior to their move I had spent a little time every night holding one or two at a time on my hands every evening but hadn't been able to recently because of the rain. Picture me standing in my shed to get us out of the drizzle at 11:30pm in my pajamas snuggling with a hen on my hand. She chirped her sweet little chirps and I told her what a pretty bird she was and for a while we finally got to enjoy one another's company again. It was blissful! I really missed them. (Didn't think I'd really be into this chicken thing but I wanted eggs, go figure!)
I do think the enforced time spent in the coop helped them 'home' in on it a bit better as everyone went in pretty easily last night. They had finally started to emerge yesterday as the temp came up to high 50s and the rain slacked up. I have read you have to make them stay in the coop for several day to a week without letting them into their run to get their little chicken brains to recognize it as home but I wasn't looking forward to it. Maybe now I won't have to! Good luck with your babies. 😀
 
Day 1 and now. Is four a flock? :)
 

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bluemtnwmn said:
I have also been an anxious momma hen on the steepest learning curve I can remember!
We moved our (at the time) 5 week old chicks to their coop last Saturday. The forecast called for a little rain and slightly cooler temps but nothing drastic. By Monday morning the forecast had changed to 3 solid days of rain and temps in the mid 40s to low 50s, not the 60s originally expected when the decision was made to move them outside. Tuesday we discovered that our TSC coop was only made for places where the rain falls straight down. It was 3 days of trying to keep them dry and warm (but not hot) in the midst of a downpour and leaving their food and water in their coop all day instead of the run where it should be. NO FUN AT ALL. Last night the rain finally let up a bit and as I went out to do a final food and water check before bed, one of my hens insisted on coming out of the coop on my hand. Prior to their move I had spent a little time every night holding one or two at a time on my hands every evening but hadn't been able to recently because of the rain. Picture me standing in my shed to get us out of the drizzle at 11:30pm in my pajamas snuggling with a hen on my hand. She chirped her sweet little chirps and I told her what a pretty bird she was and for a while we finally got to enjoy one another's company again. It was blissful! I really missed them. (Didn't think I'd really be into this chicken thing but I wanted eggs, go figure!)
I do think the enforced time spent in the coop helped them 'home' in on it a bit better as everyone went in pretty easily last night. They had finally started to emerge yesterday as the temp came up to high 50s and the rain slacked up. I have read you have to make them stay in the coop for several day to a week without letting them into their run to get their little chicken brains to recognize it as home but I wasn't looking forward to it. Maybe now I won't have to! Good luck with your babies. 😀
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Ha - We could be twins. i can imagine the 11:30PM, pajama, drizzle, trying to hold umbrella and chicks 'cause i just did that!!!!!! I too didn't think i would be into the chicken thing, as it was "just for the eggs" - Who knew????? And i was all worried about the rain and 50 degrees as well! The chicks were nonplussed. I on the other hand was soaked, cold, sleep deprived!
 
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CluckingCrazyCoop said:
I’m only on my second week with my FIRST batch, Easter Eggers - allegedly I think I I got mutt chickens but I love them dearly which happened during the 2 second walk to my car with them. Second batch is coming at the end of June, blue australorp.
but I could have written this thread myself. Felt the exact same way about everything. Why didn’t we do this sooner???? P.S: chicken math is no joke. It’s real, it’s serious and I’m afflicted.:wee
Click to expand...
I am trying to get Silkies now. Crazy addictive. Love learning. Love the babies.

In another post I'm going to outline the exploits of my coop building adventure. I've never build anything and here i am using scrap wood from our barn to build a coop. I should have video taped it. All for the chickens!!!
 

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