Chickens are harder than I expected!

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Hello and welcome from a fellow BYC newbie! Chickens can be difficult but I love them, too. Of the original 20 chicks I got in my first order two years ago only 12 remain. I lost two of the chicks within a couple days. I lost two more several months later to what I'm pretty sure was Merek's disease (even though they were supposed to have been vaxed). The hen in my profile pick was my favorite and she was one of the hens that I lost to Mereks. I found one sprawled out and dead in the run one day and still have no idea what could have happened to her. I lost one to a predator back when they were free ranging (they are now in a much safer fenced area). One I found on the floor of the coop seemingly asleep but she was dead. I think now she may have been egg bound. And we culled our one rooster because he was abusing some of the hens. I now have 16 week old chicks that are all very healthy (I used a different supplier this time and had no losses) and I'm hoping I have much more success with them this time around. Raising chickens is hard on so many levels, but I think it's worth it. There is a lot to learn, and losses will happen, but it does get easier. Hang in there!
 
rjmyooper said:
Hello and Welcome. Early sexing is for experts only and can't be done with your average photo. Depending on the breed you could be waiting a month or so. It's not only about the color or look, it's about behavior. I wouldn't be surprised if the one pecking on that one chicken was done by a roo.
Maybe you are having a hard time because your flock is too big for one person to deal with. It's difficult to diagnose issues with such a big flock. Maybe you can sell a few and downsize at least until you get more experience.
I'm always trying to help the birds stay happy because they can't speak for themselves.
Good luck.
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Thank you for all the help! It’s a family project so I’ve got my best friend’s parents (who’ve owned chickens before, but years ago) help me out. Our egg layers are probably about 7 weeks old, but I’ve got a novice eye
 
Julene said:
Hello and welcome from a fellow BYC newbie! Chickens can be difficult but I love them, too. Of the original 20 chicks I got in my first order two years ago only 12 remain. I lost two of the chicks within a couple days. I lost two more several months later to what I'm pretty sure was Merek's disease (even though they were supposed to have been vaxed). The hen in my profile pick was my favorite and she was one of the hens that I lost to Mereks. I found one sprawled out and dead in the run one day and still have no idea what could have happened to her. I lost one to a predator back when they were free ranging (they are now in a much safer fenced area). One I found on the floor of the coop seemingly asleep but she was dead. I think now she may have been egg bound. And we culled our one rooster because he was abusing some of the hens. I now have 16 week old chicks that are all very healthy (I used a different supplier this time and had no losses) and I'm hoping I have much more success with them this time around. Raising chickens is hard on so many levels, but I think it's worth it. There is a lot to learn, and losses will happen, but it does get easier. Hang in there!
Click to expand...
It is so worth it! I love the pullets and they’ve all got their own little personalities! Thankfully, compared to how many we have, we have very few issues. I only have two that I am worried about out of 28 of the egg layers, so that’s good!
 

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