Chicken Kindergarten!

[louisebarnhill]

I'ma new chicken owner...3 Goolden Laced Wyandottes, 1 Americana and 1 Barred rock. 8-week old pullets. 1 week under my belt...I have read WAY TOO MUCH and now I am scared to death of raccoons biting their heads off, owls grabbing them up and egg bound peritonitis!
They have a very roomy coup in an enclosed run that is movable to new ground easily....at night I secure them in the hen house in case something gets in the pen...It has a shade top and zero openings. I have them for egg laying and have studied extensively but everyone seems to think I will lose one here and there...no big deal. But it is a huge deal....I'm just nervous...and checking them every 20 min! Is this normal...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Normal and you should be scared to death of raccoons and all the other predators.
Locking them in the building from dusk to dawn helps. Everything likes the taste of chicken.

 

[Kiki]

We are glad you joined this flock!
Jump right in and make yourself at home.
Don't over think things and make them harder than they need to be.
Practice biosecurity and you should be just fine.
This video will help you learn how to navigate this site:

Coop Ideas:
Chicken Coops

BYC has an APP!

 

[NonnasBabies]

You'll love being here!

 

[kwhites634]

I'ma new chicken owner...3 Goolden Laced Wyandottes, 1 Americana and 1 Barred rock. 8-week old pullets. 1 week under my belt...I have read WAY TOO MUCH and now I am scared to death of raccoons biting their heads off, owls grabbing them up and egg bound peritonitis!
They have a very roomy coup in an enclosed run that is movable to new ground easily....at night I secure them in the hen house in case something gets in the pen...It has a shade top and zero openings. I have them for egg laying and have studied extensively but everyone seems to think I will lose one here and there...no big deal. But it is a huge deal....I'm just nervous...and checking them every 20 min! Is this normal...

Don't worry about it. If you were normal you wouldn't own chickens to begin with

 

[Joeschooks]

Hello and I don’t think you can ever read to much there’s always something new to learn here! Never underestimate predators. I’ve never had a loss but you should see my coop and run... electric fence EVERYWHERE I obsess about it too but you can’t be too careful.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Hello and I don’t think you can ever read to much there’s always something new to learn here! Never underestimate predators. I’ve never had a loss but you should see my coop and run... electric fence EVERYWHERE I obsess about it too but you can’t be too careful.

And you don't have the plethora of predators we have here. In about 40+ years of chicken keeping and free ranging anywhere from 10 to 100+ birds, I'm sure predators from mink, to weasels, to raccoons, to opossums, to coyotes, to foxes, to hawks, to feral cats, to neighbors' dogs, to stray dogs, I've easily lost $5000 worth of chickens. The predators never cease to amaze me at their ingenuity, persistence and ability to squeeze into such tight spaces or even pull the siding off of buildings.
Luckily bears, mountain lions and bobcats are slightly farther from the metro area and haven't found my place - yet. Bobcats have been sighted in the burbs though - and mountain lions have been caught on game cams locally.

 

[Joeschooks]

And you don't have the plethora of predators we have here. In about 40+ years of chicken keeping, I'm sure predators from mink, to weasels, to raccoons, to opossums, to coyotes, to foxes, to hawks, to feral cats, to neighbors' dogs, to stray dogs, I've easily lost $5000 worth of chickens. The predators never cease to amaze me at their ingenuity and persistence.
Luckily bears, mountain lions and bobcats haven't found my place - yet.

Gosh yes, we only really have foxes here (although loads of them and at all times of day and night) and few birds of prey but I’ve never seen them around here. We are fortunate.

 

[drumstick diva]

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