Are chickens this fragile

[chynasparks]

I'm reading books, reading posts to learn about my new chickens. There are so many things that can kill chickens. Are they really that fragile?

 

[Eggcessive]

Nope. You are reading about people all over the world who are asking for help on BYC. They are actually pretty strong and easy to care for if you get healthy birds to start with and get informed by reading some information on how to care for them before they arrive. Granted, after you have chickens for a while, you may have an injury or illness, but for the most part I think they are fairly easy to take care of. Just don't get too many like some of us have, LOL.

 

[bugglesmommy]

Not necessarily. There are many things that can effect chickens, but if you judged a species by what COULD go wrong, nothing looks very optimistic. Shoot, try looking at any medical book about what might go wrong in any person.

Some species of chickens do have weaknesses, such as heat or cold intolerance and some may be more frail then others, but over all if you keep your chickens clean, well cared for, and on an appropriate diet you shouldn't have too many issues.

Also EVERYTHING wants to eat chickens. Keep that in mind when deciding on housing and fencing.

 

[Eggcessive]

Bugglesmommy is right about building a predator-proof coop. Also don't buy sick chickens or chicks from people you don't know--especially at swap meets. If your chicks can get a Mareks vaccine at the hatchery, it is well worth a dollar. Just read everything you can about basic chicken care you may not have many problems. Many people have raised chickens for "30 years" but may not know beans about proper care and feeding.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Chickens are not that fragile. I started out 20 years ago with one article in Organic Gardening that told me about building a coop, what to feed & when they would start laying. I bought one book back then (Storey) that mostly talked about bigger operations & commercial type chicken keeping. It too mentioned all the things that could go wrong & I put it down right quick. Most stuff is common sense & does not have to be so intense. I probably would have quit chicken keeping in BYC was around back then. Make a big enough coop, feed them good feed & water & protect them best you can and that's it! I never dug in fences or used hardware cloth etc. & have only lost 2 to predators in all those years. I have been lucky, but some of this stuff is just overload.

 

[Mrs. K]

some are going to die. That is a fact of life, that often throws people off into guilt, that they should have done something different.

I do think the number one cause of problems on here, is lack of space, or ignoring flock dynamics like trying to add one bird, or adding too young of chicks to the flock, wishing chickens would just be nice. They are not people, they are chickens, and will act like chickens.

For me, my biggest problem is predators..... mine free range each day, nearly, and that is a chance I take. I do have the space and capabilites to lock them up safe..... once we built that, it helped a great deal, a good roo helps with that too, but....I still lose some to predators occasionally.

But the main thing is, all of them will die, they do not live forever, and often times 3 years is about it. You do read about much older hens/roos on here, but that is the exception. Many people on here, do the whole vet thing trying to prevent that early death, but I just get new chicks. These are not equivalent to people to me.

I love having a flock, and at times I have favorites, but I really don't have pets. I have an ongoing, changing flock, sometimes, I cull things, and sometimes nature culls things for me..... that is the long term relationship that I have. I do not have long term relationships with each bird.

Feed them commercial feed, some scraps, clean water, protection from the wind and predators, and let them be chickens. They will give you years of eggs and enjoyment, but not forever the same birds.

Mrs K

 

[chynasparks]

I really want to thank you for your post. I feel like I have read way too much, causing me to over think all of this. I've learned a lot of necessary things from this website but after a while I started asking myself how the chicken ever survived. I just need to know enough to raise my 4 hens. My husband tol me to "quit reading and take care if your chickens" LOL. Don't get me wrong, I like BYC, I like seeing pics of how people created a nice place for their chickens. But all the " do this" and "never do this" after a while makes me think I can't raise my chicks. All this info is great but I just gotta take some and leave some. Your post helps to get me back to the "just take care of the" stage.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Think of all the chicken advice the same as all the advice women get when they're pregnant. Some of those pregnancy books are terrifying for a new mother! All those diseases, all those things that could go wrong--but most women have a healthy pregnancy and baby, and make it through baby's first sniffles just fine. Chickens are the same. Lots of things COULD go wrong, but that does not mean that they WILL.

Chickens are tough beasties.

 

[donrae]

Give them enough space, that's the most important thing. If you want to cram 4 hens into a tiny dollhouse coop you'll be asking for problems.

Chickens have survived thousands of years just fine. Keep in mind they're at the bottom of the food chain, keep them safe, give them appropriate feed and water, lots of space and you should be fine.

 

[chynasparks]

All I plan to have is 4 hens. A 4x8x 6' high so we can go in to clean. A chicken tractor also to forage in. My husband is building it. My house will blow away before this coop! It's heavy but it can be moved. It will start out on a concrete slab. Now that I have calmed my fears I can get down to the business of caring for them.