I don't know if Beekissed would classify me as an old-timer or not. I was raised on a farm where we raised almost everything we ate. As the oldest boy, the chickens were my responsibility from as far back as I can remember until I left home a couple days after my high school graduation. That does not just mean gathering eggs but breaking the ice on the pond so the chickens, cows, and plow horses could get a drink in the winter, shelling and feeding them corn if there was snow on the ground, grabbing a dozen eggs from the egg bucket under the sink and marking them if we had a broody and wanted her to hatch, or putting a broody in the broody buster if we did not need some more chicks. If Mom wanted to cook one, I'd catch it and deliver it to her plucked and gutted.
I retired a while back and moved to where I can keep chickens. I've had them this time for about four years.
I'll try to put together my list of five. Haven't thought about it too much so we'll see how it goes.
1. Everything we say on here is a guideline, not an absolute law of nature. If we warn you about something, it is because it can happen, not that it absolutely will. A lot of times, it probably won't happen, but it can. I'm not going to advise people to blow off a suggestion or tell them to do something that can cause harm just because it will probably not cause harm. A lot of people on this forum have trouble if it is not black and white. Either it is going to happen each and every time or it is never going to happen. Life is not that way. Along those lines, I don't know every little detail about your operation. The guidelines are meant to cover a tremendously wide range of circumstances, how you manage them, how many you have, your climate, urban or rural, or whatever. A lot of times the guidelines won't apply to your specific circumstances but I don't know enough about your specific conditions to know that, plus somebody else with totally different circumstances will read it and misinterpret it. So pay attention to what is said on this forum, but use some common sense and try to see if what is said applies to you.
2. Broody hens do not need help hatching or taking care of their chicks. The less you interfere the better. Yes, sometimes bad things happen, but many more bad things are likely to happen if you interfere. Leave the hen and chicks alone.
3. There are so many myths about roosters on this forum that it is ridiculous. They are not evil incarnate. They operate by instinct to assure fertility and protect their flocks. The more you interfere with that instinctive behavior, the more likely you are to have a problem with their behavior toward people. And a lot of times, the problem with a rough or brutal rooster is with a specific hen and not the rooster. I've solved a lot of barebacked hens and such problems by removing a specific hen.
4. Chickens don't need heat if you give them decent living conditions and allow them to acclimate. I know they can sleep in trees when it is below zero Fahrenheit. A few of ours did it, but those trees were in a protected valley and they were in close to the trunk where they could shield themselves from the wind. And it was extremely well ventilated. Just provide them a well ventilated place where they are not in a strong direct draft and leave them alone. You are much more likely to get in trouble if you keep them too well protected where there is not enough ventilation or if the power goes off and they are not acclimated.
5. Don't overstress about feeding them the exact perfect diet with all kinds of supplements. If they free range, they'll take care of matters themselves. Other than when there was snow on the ground, we never fed them anything extra. They found all their own food, but even in winter they had pretty good quality forage. If you keep them penned where you provide all they eat, just feed them a relatively balanced diet. They don't need a lot of extra protein or calcium. If you overfeed them that stuff, their liver and kidneys have to work overtime to clean that excess out of their system. Too much protein can cause oversized eggs which can lead to prolapse. Pay attention to your chickens and let them tell you if they need something instead of assuming they are deficient. If the egg shells are OK, they don't need more calcium. Just because they are molting does not mean they need more protein. They quit laying eggs so the protein that was going to egg production is now used to make feathers. If they start feather-picking and you don't have them crowded into a tiny little bitty space, you can up the protein. But feeding them is about a lot more than just protein. They need fats, fiber, minerals, vitamins and all that. Just try to not go to extremes.
6. Give them extra space. Don't try to crown them into the minimum space you can. Remember that the 4 and 10 square feet is a general guideline that will keep most of us out of trouble most of the time. But the more space you can give them, the less likely you are for them to have behavioral problems and the less work you are likely to have to do. Think poop management.
7. Try to set it up so you can be flexible. It is good to have a place prepared so you can isolate a chicken if you need to instead of trying to come up with something on a panic basis. While I normally free range, I like having a run so I can leave them locked up if I want to. Don't assume everything is going to go perfect all the time. It won't.
I know I went over my allotted five, so Beekissed can beat me up. I'll only cry a little while.
I retired a while back and moved to where I can keep chickens. I've had them this time for about four years.
I'll try to put together my list of five. Haven't thought about it too much so we'll see how it goes.
1. Everything we say on here is a guideline, not an absolute law of nature. If we warn you about something, it is because it can happen, not that it absolutely will. A lot of times, it probably won't happen, but it can. I'm not going to advise people to blow off a suggestion or tell them to do something that can cause harm just because it will probably not cause harm. A lot of people on this forum have trouble if it is not black and white. Either it is going to happen each and every time or it is never going to happen. Life is not that way. Along those lines, I don't know every little detail about your operation. The guidelines are meant to cover a tremendously wide range of circumstances, how you manage them, how many you have, your climate, urban or rural, or whatever. A lot of times the guidelines won't apply to your specific circumstances but I don't know enough about your specific conditions to know that, plus somebody else with totally different circumstances will read it and misinterpret it. So pay attention to what is said on this forum, but use some common sense and try to see if what is said applies to you.
2. Broody hens do not need help hatching or taking care of their chicks. The less you interfere the better. Yes, sometimes bad things happen, but many more bad things are likely to happen if you interfere. Leave the hen and chicks alone.
3. There are so many myths about roosters on this forum that it is ridiculous. They are not evil incarnate. They operate by instinct to assure fertility and protect their flocks. The more you interfere with that instinctive behavior, the more likely you are to have a problem with their behavior toward people. And a lot of times, the problem with a rough or brutal rooster is with a specific hen and not the rooster. I've solved a lot of barebacked hens and such problems by removing a specific hen.
4. Chickens don't need heat if you give them decent living conditions and allow them to acclimate. I know they can sleep in trees when it is below zero Fahrenheit. A few of ours did it, but those trees were in a protected valley and they were in close to the trunk where they could shield themselves from the wind. And it was extremely well ventilated. Just provide them a well ventilated place where they are not in a strong direct draft and leave them alone. You are much more likely to get in trouble if you keep them too well protected where there is not enough ventilation or if the power goes off and they are not acclimated.
5. Don't overstress about feeding them the exact perfect diet with all kinds of supplements. If they free range, they'll take care of matters themselves. Other than when there was snow on the ground, we never fed them anything extra. They found all their own food, but even in winter they had pretty good quality forage. If you keep them penned where you provide all they eat, just feed them a relatively balanced diet. They don't need a lot of extra protein or calcium. If you overfeed them that stuff, their liver and kidneys have to work overtime to clean that excess out of their system. Too much protein can cause oversized eggs which can lead to prolapse. Pay attention to your chickens and let them tell you if they need something instead of assuming they are deficient. If the egg shells are OK, they don't need more calcium. Just because they are molting does not mean they need more protein. They quit laying eggs so the protein that was going to egg production is now used to make feathers. If they start feather-picking and you don't have them crowded into a tiny little bitty space, you can up the protein. But feeding them is about a lot more than just protein. They need fats, fiber, minerals, vitamins and all that. Just try to not go to extremes.
6. Give them extra space. Don't try to crown them into the minimum space you can. Remember that the 4 and 10 square feet is a general guideline that will keep most of us out of trouble most of the time. But the more space you can give them, the less likely you are for them to have behavioral problems and the less work you are likely to have to do. Think poop management.
7. Try to set it up so you can be flexible. It is good to have a place prepared so you can isolate a chicken if you need to instead of trying to come up with something on a panic basis. While I normally free range, I like having a run so I can leave them locked up if I want to. Don't assume everything is going to go perfect all the time. It won't.
I know I went over my allotted five, so Beekissed can beat me up. I'll only cry a little while.
Lots of excellent ideas & words to live by here. Thanks for sharing, everyone. I've only had chickens for 9 years, though. 
