Chicken Confessional: I'm a little scared!

[castillo_de_luz]

I hope some of you experienced chicken keepers can remember all the way back to your first foray into the world of chickens and perhaps sympathize with how I'm feeling. Or maybe I'm nuts.

I'm a born and raised city and suburban dweller -- I've never been on a horse, held a baby goat, milked a cow, or umm interacted with chickens. Ever. My childhood pets were fish, a pet store parakeet, and indoor cats (and my current household is run by one precious Maine Coon cat).

As the house hunt shifted from a small condo or townhouse to a real SFH on some land, I started thinking about chickens. Fresh eggs. Great compost for a new veggie garden. So when we moved to this 1-acre property last year, I knew it was time to get serious and make a plan for a small flock.

I've probably done more research than most would consider healthy, and fortunately have access to real live human friends who are longtime chicken people and have provided real-world information too. I think I'm as prepared as anyone can possibly be at this point, T-minus 49 days from picking up 5 Dominique pullets.

As excited and happy as I usually am, there's a part of me that's terrified of taking this whole thing on. What if I hate it? What if I can't tolerate all the poop and cleaning? What if we get a rat infestation? What if the birds get super sick, or hurt, or killed in some horrific way? I understand intellectually that any of these things could happen, but unlike other areas of my life, I have no previous experience in dealing with this. I'm not overly squeamish about some things, but disgusting smells or a mauled bird... I don't know how I'd react to that.

This whole post is really just to say that I'm 70% excited to begin the chicken adventure but 30% horrified at the many possible forms of misery this entire undertaking could produce. And believe it or not, this is considered progress in "well-managed anxiety" for me!

Words of advice? Sanity check? Anyone else felt/feel this way, or have a different personal tale to add to the Chicken Confessional? (Corn-fessional?)

 

[The Moonshiner]

They're chickens though. If they turn out to be something you're not into you can eat them.

 

[sourland]

Relax and enjoy. All the anxiety accomplishes nothing.

 

[Chichin Mama]

Yes! I absolutely felt this way when I first got chickens, this will be my third year of chicken keeping.

You are right. Things can and do happen. Predators are out there and diseases come. But you also learn as you go. I definitely didn't start out knowing everything with my first batch of chicks. It sounds like you have done a great job researching and have quite a bit of knowledge tucked under your belt already.

Some advice I would give you is
1. While bad things can and do happen, learn from those hard experiences and try not to blame yourself.

2. Not everyone's situation is identical. At the end of the day, you do what is best for you and your unique situation.

You've got this! You are going to do great!

 

[RoyalChick]

I hope some of you experienced chicken keepers can remember all the way back to your first foray into the world of chickens and perhaps sympathize with how I'm feeling. Or maybe I'm nuts.

I'm a born and raised city and suburban dweller -- I've never been on a horse, held a baby goat, milked a cow, or umm interacted with chickens. Ever. My childhood pets were fish, a pet store parakeet, and indoor cats (and my current household is run by one precious Maine Coon cat).

As the house hunt shifted from a small condo or townhouse to a real SFH on some land, I started thinking about chickens. Fresh eggs. Great compost for a new veggie garden. So when we moved to this 1-acre property last year, I knew it was time to get serious and make a plan for a small flock.

I've probably done more research than most would consider healthy, and fortunately have access to real live human friends who are longtime chicken people and have provided real-world information too. I think I'm as prepared as anyone can possibly be at this point, T-minus 49 days from picking up 5 Dominique pullets.

As excited and happy as I usually am, there's a part of me that's terrified of taking this whole thing on. What if I hate it? What if I can't tolerate all the poop and cleaning? What if we get a rat infestation? What if the birds get super sick, or hurt, or killed in some horrific way? I understand intellectually that any of these things could happen, but unlike other areas of my life, I have no previous experience in dealing with this. I'm not overly squeamish about some things, but disgusting smells or a mauled bird... I don't know how I'd react to that.

This whole post is really just to say that I'm 70% excited to begin the chicken adventure but 30% horrified at the many possible forms of misery this entire undertaking could produce. And believe it or not, this is considered progress in "well-managed anxiety" for me!

Words of advice? Sanity check? Anyone else felt/feel this way, or have a different personal tale to add to the Chicken Confessional? (Corn-fessional?)

Awwww. I am sure you will be fine and learn to love them as we all did.
I got chickens by accident and had never interacted with a live chicken. I ended up with these pullets in a tote in my garage and a sort of coop in the yard. I had no idea how to transport them from the garage to the coop. I had no idea how to pick one up or hold it (thank goodness for YouTube!). Did they fly? Would they try and escape?
They wormed their way into my heart because having consulted the internet on how to hold them I managed to pick one up and carry it over to the coop. The others immediately jumped out of their tote and followed me, chatting to me the whole way.
What was not to love!

I am guessing you haven't yet got your chickens? Have you decided the basics of your set up? I found things like the coop build and discussion of deep litter etc. on this forum amazingly helpful for me to figure out how to care for them.

Good luck - and never be afraid to ask questions here.

 

[fluffycrow]

I remember the first time I lost a bird I liked to a predator. The fox had taken the head and neck, and had opened a gash on her back, exposing her insides. I was very shaken up after that. I had had chickens for a couple of years at that point, so I was certain that I did not want to stop keeping them; the worry of going through that again was very prevalent, however. I can understand why one would want to quit after that.

The way I see it, you've had birds inside your house, you've had cats inside your house. "What if I hate it" applies to those animals as well. The fact that you've enjoyed animals in general points to the fact that you'll probably enjoy chickens. Just like the other animals you've had, if you do indeed find them too much, you can rehome them. Or unlike most pets, you can also eat them.
Get the birds first, worry later. I'm betting that by the time the first "bad" moment comes, you will have already decided chickens are worth it

 

[TaylorGlade]

This forum has been an incredible resource for me. People here are extremely helpful and ready to answer any questions you have at almost anytime. And they are very patient about it. I have never had my head bitten off for asking "obvious" questions or questions that I have come to see in the past several months that everyone has.

No matter how much research you do, you will still have questions, because, not unlike people, chickens are rarely textbook. My favorite thing is there quizzical and comical personalities - that also makes life with them unpredictable, but fun. But, if something goes sideways, be sure to ask.

Your research does make it more likely you will succeed because you care enough to learn before endeavoring to take it on. Kudos! You will rock this!

 

[castillo_de_luz]

They're chickens though. If they turn out to be something you're not into you can eat them.

I'm aware that I can eat them, but as pets, that solution isn't viable.

 

[castillo_de_luz]

Yes! I absolutely felt this way when I first got chickens, this will be my third year of chicken keeping.

You are right. Things can and do happen. Predators are out there and diseases come. But you also learn as you go. I definitely didn't start out knowing everything with my first batch of chicks. It sounds like you have done a great job researching and have quite a bit of knowledge tucked under your belt already.

Some advice I would give you is
1. While bad things can and do happen, learn from those hard experiences and try not to blame yourself.

2. Not everyone's situation is identical. At the end of the day, you do what is best for you and your unique situation.

You've got this! You are going to do great!

Thank you, good to know the newbie nerves are normal. I think a lot of it comes from wanting to do right by my chickies, and wondering if my inexperience might hurt them. But I guess it's more "you win some, you learn some" with live animals!

 

[Jakemedic]

In a world full of craziness, this forum is an oasis of endless information on domestic birds. I am a city kid as well, and never handled, let alone raise chickens before April of 2023. We dove in with both feet, good or bad. Our initial flock was and continues to be 12 ladies. We raised them from 1 day old. Last summer was especially hot, we cooled them and gave frozen treats (watermelon and peaches mostly). This winter was historically cold and I brought them oatmeal with cyan and cinnamon in it. We have been caring, friendly and kind to our ladies and they have given us the most amazing eggs. They are delicious! We care for them, talk to them and enjoy the time we spend with them. I genuinely hope you find as much enjoyment out of this forum and your flock as we do.