Chick Order Panic Attack

[TinaG]

I've done it - I just placed my on-line order with Meyers for 9 chicks. The earliest delivery I could get was first week in May. I have spent literally 2 years looking at chicken websites and making lists of breeds, building a coop (not yet finished) and now I just did it. I hit the purchase button on the screen and did it. I think I'm having a panic attack. I don't remember being this freaked out when I married or got pregnant with my kids! Those were much bigger commitments than this, relatively speaking. Has anyone else had this problem?

I was all planning to go with heritage and unusual breeds from several breeders but could never either limit my choices to what they had or when they had them available. In the end I just went with Meyers based on their reputation, variety and all-in-one on-line shopping menu. I liked the idea of starting with a mixed bunch for my first group of hens and see which breeds turn out to be my favorites and the best for my area and backyard set up. What I ordered were 2 Australorp, 2 Barred Rock, 1 Easter Egger, 1 Speckled Sussex, 1 RIR and 1 Leghorn. (What I really had my heart set on were heritage Barred Rock, Marraduna Basque, and Mille Fleur Leghorn. Now I'm hoping one of my future hens goes broody and I'll try to hatch out eggs of the Basque or MFLH).

Oh Lord, what have I done! There's no turning back now. I'll post photos of my half-finished coop. I had originally posted in the "Chickens on the Patio" thread but after a lot of thought decided not to convert the whole patio. I'm building a 3 x 8 coop with an attached 4 x 8 run under the patio. That will leave enough room for a few cages of meat rabbits (another future project).

 

[KatieBugg]

Welcome to the wonderful world of chickens!! Don't panic, you will be fine But seriously after almost 25 years of having chickens off and on, I still get that way when I ordered a batch of chicks! I go into mama mode and everything has to be CLEAN and sanitized and warm and well you get it...lol

 

[TinaG]

And I forgot 1 Silver laced Wyandotte. That makes 9. I'm expecting at least 1 to turn out to be a roo and maybe 1 doa, so I'm going to be left with 7.

I'm thinking I have a general problem with long term commitment. I panic when I buy a car, when we bought our houses, and now that I'm thinking back, I do remember the same feeling when I got pregnant. That falling-over-a-cliff feeling and there's no going back. Parenthood turned out pretty fine so I guess how bad can chickens be? (Though one of my co-workers never lets me forget what I said when I got pregnant with my first child "It can't be that much harder than raising a puppy!?!")

 

[AmpersatChick]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets the after purchase panic! I felt that way when I clicked the button and I'd been reading about chickens for months leading up to it...and the ship date isn't even for another 3 months

 

[KatieBugg]

And I forgot 1 Silver laced Wyandotte. That makes 9. I'm expecting at least 1 to turn out to be a roo and maybe 1 doa, so I'm going to be left with 7.

I'm thinking I have a general problem with long term commitment. I panic when I buy a car, when we bought our houses, and now that I'm thinking back, I do remember the same feeling when I got pregnant. That falling-over-a-cliff feeling and there's no going back. Parenthood turned out pretty fine so I guess how bad can chickens be? (Though one of my co-workers never lets me forget what I said when I got pregnant with my first child "It can't be that much harder than raising a puppy!?!")

LMAO, you already have chicken math going through your head! You have some really cool breeds ordered. I did alot of different breeds the last couple of years and have settled on a few favs now.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I know that panicy feeling. I think it's a sign that you are a conscientious person. For me, sometimes the wishing and planning is more fun than the reality, but with chickens I found that they really are great. The good thing about chicks is that, like babies, their early needs are fairly simple to provide and you have time to learn as they grow. I did something similar with my first 10 chicks and got 9 different breeds to see what I like. Hehehe... I like them all! You'll be fine. Our coop wasn't finished when we got the chicks either, and they were about 8 weeks old when it was finally done, 3 weeks over schedule. The chicks handled my temporary housing just fine, and have survived to glorious egg-laying adulthood.

One word of (unsolicited) advice though. Build as big as you comfortably can. The minimum square footage requirements that are often quoted are, in my opinion, too small. 9 grown chickens will be larger than you think, and if you intend in the future to get heritage birds, they are even bigger. The more room the chickens have, the less stress and squabbles you will see, and your flock will be happy and healthy. Of course if they get to free range on most days, they won't need as much coop space. Plan ahead 'cause chicken math happens!

 

[critterwhisper]

your are having normal momma hen feelings(thats what my dh calls it)i have gone from excited to place my order,nervous wreck night before the came,tears of joy when i heard them peep at the post office,to ferocious protection instint to cheeck on every high pitch peep,my dh has told me to stop checking on them every second, glad i am not the only one with these feelings-lol congrats on taking your first step in ordering them and now the fun begins

 

[PoultryGirly]

I ordered my chicks this year from Meyer's, also. I'm very nervous about my order, just like you, because I haven't ordered from them before. I also am receiving my chicks in May (hopefully), but they are coming the 21. Good luck!

 

[CrazyChickens09]

I have just under two weeks till my babies arrive via USPS. I have always bought chicks from the local feed store but not this year. The panicky feeling will be there for awhile but the wonderful people on this forum will help ease that anxiety by answering any questions you have. Enjoy having the babies; that stage like humans doesn't last long.

 

[TinaG]

Wishing4WIngs - I do think the chicken math got me. I downsized the coop but not my expectations of what I wanted to put in it. 9 is definitely too many, though even anticipating 1 roo and 1 doa, 7 I think is still going to be a stretch. I'll have 8 feet of roost space. The total is 24 sq. feet coop and 32 feet run, with several hours of free range each day. I think I need to realistically expect to rehome one more as the chicks grow to bring the number down to 6 or 7 at the most.

Thank you to everyone's very nice and reassuring comments. Does anyone remember bringing their first baby home from the hospital? I looked at my first son the day we brought him home and wondered "what the heck do I do now?" I can't believe a hospital actually shoves you out the door and on your way with a brand new human being and expects you to know what to do with 'em. In hindsight, baby people sound more resilient than chicks, though we don't ship our kids half-way across the country in a cardboard box, dump 'em in a brooder and expect them to start running around and peeping.